The Shaming of Sakura Haruno
by DarkFantasy3d
Summary: REPOST. Sakura Haruno cannot tolerate the shameful sight of a boy mistreating a girl. But scenes of boys abusing each other? That's...a different story. Sakura/Sai, Yaoi, Don't ask me to explain that. Just read it.
1. MAXimum Hardcore

NOTE: This is a repost of a story that I had put up a couple of years ago under the Author Name "AndYourLittleDogToo". It is still posted at AO3 under that same name. If you think you've read this story before, you probably have.

This is not a story for the squeamish or the easily offended. And don't be surprised if this story is yanked by the guardians of virtue. I had originally written it as a challenge to myself. I wanted to write a story that broke all of the unwritten rules of yaoi yet still made for a good yaoi story. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

* * *

**Maximum Hardcore**

* * *

Sakura looked askance at the black cartridge. "A videotape? It doesn't have a label. What's on it?"

Sai shrugged his shoulders and gave her one of his odd, forced smiles. "I don't know. I would suppose that's why Yamato gave it to us. To find out."

Naruto snatched the tape from Sakura and shoved it into the VCR. The machine hummed and whirred. "So let's watch it already. Got to be better than going through all those piles of paper."

Sakura picked up the remote control and pressed the Pause button. "Shouldn't we give Captain Yamato a hand with the evidence? There's hundreds of documents in there."

Sai turned on the monitor and sat down beside Naruto. "He's got it. He uses a wood-style jutsu to absorb the information directly from the paper. Should only take him an hour or two."

Naruto put his feet up on the table. "Man, I wish I had a jutsu like that in the academy. Could've saved me a lot of reading."

Sakura reached over and shoved his feet off. "Like you spent any of your time reading." She walked around the table, sat next to Sai, and pressed Play. "It's probably just another surveillance camera video. Four hours of guys walking back and forth. Wonderful."

The first shot on the tape showed the exterior of a large house, ringed with palm trees. A moment later the words "MAXimum Hardcore" and "All models over 18" appeared. The next shot was of the interior of the house, where an older man in a cowboy hat was talking with a girl with pigtails wearing a short dress.

Naruto leaned back and yawned. "Models? Is this going to be a stupid fashion show?"

Sakura scowled at the screen. "Yeah, like that girl's really 18 years old. Probably the old guy's granddaughter. Why are they just-"

The girl kneeled in front of the man, who unzipped his fly and extracted his erect penis. He grabbed her by her pigtails and violently shoved his cock into her mouth.

Sakura mashed the Pause button. Frozen, the image on the screen - the cruel, smirking, sadistic grin on his face, and the passive, barely-concealed terror in her eyes, like a dog being beaten by its beloved master - struck her as being more obscene than the action itself.

Naruto sat up. Slack-jawed, he stared at the screen. "What're they-"

Sakura reached over and snapped off the monitor. "Nothing! They're not doing _anything_, Naruto. Just forget what you saw. They were just...I mean, like... uhh... Okay, when a boy and girl like each other, then...actually, when a _man_ and a _woman_ love one another...a lot...they sometimes, uhhh-"

"I get it, Sakura-chan. Give me a little credit. I just spent three years with Jiraya. I _know_ what they're doing. I just haven't ever _seen_ a woman, you know, giving a man, like, uhhhh-"

Sai grabbed the remote. "Trapped in a tiny room with two virgins. Lucky me. Look, I'll just fast-forward through the bits where no explanation is required. Okay? Any objections? Good."

In fast-forward, their motions were jerky and ridiculous. Sakura scowled at the man's self-satisfied smirk.

When the girl stood up, Sai let the tape run at normal speed. Sakura and Naruto both cringed when the man slapped the girl's face and called her something _very _rude.

The man bent the girl over the end of a couch and began fucking her. Naruto laughed and pointed. "Idiot! He's doing it in the wrong hole!"

Sai groaned and hit Fast Foward again. Sakura crossed her arms and huffed loudly. "I hope we get to see her slap _him _later on."

When the man backed away, Sai hit the Play button. Naruto cackled. "Time for the money shot."

Sakura sneered. "Money shot?"

"Yeah, that's where he points his thing and squirts on her. You'll see. Here it comes!"

Sakura and Naruto were both paralyzed with shock when they saw that they liquid squirting out was yellow, not white. The stream traveled up her body, towards her face.

"Enough!" Sakura hurled the montor into the wall, where it exploded in a shower of sparks. "That's dis-_gust_-ing!" She grabbed the VCR and smashed it against the wall. "No self-respecting woman would allow a man to treat her like that!"

She turned to Naruto. Her face was twisted with rage. "Why didn't you tell me that was going to happen?"

"I didn't know! Honest. I didn't think that he was going to-"

"Get out!" She picked up the table and threw it at him. Fortunately, he was able to leap through the doorway in time. "And tell Yamato to watch his own porn next time!"

She turned to Sai. "You don't seem to be shocked by any of this." She grabbed his collar and yanked him up. "Please, Sai. Please tell me you haven't done these things to a girl."

He gave her one of his odd smiles. "Well, not to a girl."

Her furious expression softened as she loosened her grip on his collar. "Oh. I didn't, uh... I didn't know you were..."

"You must have suspected. I mean, I am wearing the most effeminate uniform ever designed by man. What straight guy would go around with a bared midriff? And let's not forget this faggoty haircut."

She put her hands on her hips. "I wish you wouldn't use the f-word."

"Even though I am an 'f-word?'"

She looked away.

He tilted his head. "So, it's okay if it's a boy? All that stuff?"

Her brow furrowed. "If it's a girl, that's obviously very wrong. But if I picture two boys together... And they're, you know, doing disgusting things... together..."

Sai waited a moment before speaking. "Earth to Sakura. Sai calling."

"What?"

"You were drooling."

"Was not!" Her eyes flung open as she dabbed the corners of her mouth. "Was I?

He crossed his arms. "Let's put it to the test. Would you care to watch? Me and another man? Having a session?"

"I, uh... I mean, I've never..." She stood erect. "No, Sai. It wouldn't be right."

His arms dropped to his sides. His shoulders inched downwards, as though he was deflating. "I understand."

As he left the room, he placed his hand on her shoulder. "I was hoping you would say 'yes.' We really need someone to watch us, Sakura. And I don't know who else to ask."

She silently watched him go. Part of her was glad that this disgusting episode was behind her. And part of her wanted to know why he used the word 'need.'


	2. The Six Paths of Sakura

**The Six Paths of Sakura**

That Friday evening, after her shift at the Konoha hospital, Sakura stood at the center of Rokudo Cricle and gave yet another long, heavy sigh. She un-crossed her arms and then crossed them again. She glanced at her watch, forgetting that she had already checked the time less than a minute before.

If she went North, there were three places she could go: back to the hospital. up to the exercise yard, and over to her parent's house. She crossed the hospital off her list. _Not that they couldn't use the extra help, but... No. Too much of that already. I'm sick to death of that place. And, let's not forget Tsunade, our wonderful boss, and her constant tirades about this and that and everything else. She _really _needs to get laid. Or something..._

If she went to the exercise yard, she could get a little training in, too. _Blow off some steam, too. I could use some of that._ She looked down at her standard "casual" outfit: light green shirt under a red tunic, dark green plaid skirt, and sensible shoes. _I'm not dressed for it. And besides, it's Friday. Shouldn't Friday nights be...fun?_

Her parents always had fun on Friday nights. Her mother would make the punch while her father set up the card table. They would play card games or board games or charades or-if they were feeling exceptionally daring-they would dig one of their thousand-piece jigsaw puzzles from the top of the closet and work on it until the wee hours while her father regaled them with tales of his wild adventures in the Bureaucratic Corps.

_Ugh._

To the South was her favorite refuge, the dessert shop. She had spent many a Friday evening there, listening to music on the radio, nursing a bowl of ice cream anmitsu. By herself. Alone.

Also to the South was Ino's place. Despite their rivalry, there had always remained friends. _Well, friendly at least. I wonder if she's got any new yaoi dojinshi yet?_

_Scratch that. She's been gone for weeks. And besides, she stopped buying new ones when Shikamaru became a chuunin and she went all gaga over him after he tried to retrieve Sasuke._

_Which was almost three years ago._

_Is my social life _that _pathetic?_

She looked at her watch and sighed again. _Yes. Yes, it is._

That left only one option. _The bridge. I can't believe I'm actually considering going to..._

_Oh boy..._

She inhaled, preparing to sigh again, but she stopped herself. She clicked her tongue, disgusted with her indecisiveness. Then she exhaled slowly and put her left foot forward. Then her right. Then the left again. Eventually, her feet picked up the rhythm and she steadily, if slowly, made her way due south to the Nakano River Bridge.

* * *

The bridge was crowded. It seemed like everyone in town was here, either going to visit the bars and cafes on the South side, or going back to their homes and flats on the North. Sakura sensed a gnawing restlessness in everyone who jostled past her, as though they had itchy souls and they were searching for a wicked, keen edge to scratch themselves against. She couldn't blame them. Their feelings weren't too different from her own.

She saw Sai's head above the crowd. He was leaning against a streetlight and the light from it made the air around the top of his head glow like a halo.

She stopped and started to turn. _If I go back now, I could be safe. Forget all about this. Make his words go away. And the look in his eyes. I could go home. Play card games or do charades. Eat ice cream. Do puzzles. Sigh about Sasuke again. Die a little more inside._

_Or I could take a chance. Just this once._

She looked back at him again. He had seen her and was holding his hand out, summoning her.

She fought her way through the crowd. She hoped she wasn't blushing too badly as she stood before him, her head bowed slightly as she rubbed the back of her neck. "_Gomenasai_. I'm...a little late."

He smiled in a way that seemed quite genuine. "No need to apologize. I'm just glad that you showed up."

She was surprised by his clothes. She had always seen him in his combat uniform, the one that exposed his midriff. She hated to admit it, but he certainly did look "faggoty" in it. Tonight, his clothing was a lot more masculine: black leather jacket, unzipped to reveal a plain white undershirt; indigo denim pants; black boots.

More striking was the way he looked wearing them. He always seemed uptight and uncomfortable in his uniform. Naruto once said that he looked like he had a stick up his ass and she couldn't bring herself to disagree. Now, as he stood before her, she saw a different man. His posture was upright, but not stiff; strong and confident, but not intimidating; relaxed, yet overflowing with a dark, rich, masculine energy that comforted her and, at the same time, made her insides a little jittery.

Déjà vu. This scene-her and him, united at last, on the bridge between darkness and light, enveloped by all of humanity yet completely alone-was something she felt she had experienced a thousand times before. With a shock, she realized that she _had_ seen it a thousand times. In her dreams.

But the boy on the bridge had always been Sasuke. At least until the Heaven and Earth Bridge mission, when she saw finally saw him again. And saw what he had become.

"Earth to Sakura. Sai calling."

She shook her head and blinked a couple of times. "Sorry. It's been a long day. And I'm little..."

"Nervous?

He gaze dropped down to his chest. "Well, I haven't... I mean... You know how it is, and..." She huffed and her hands balled into fists. She forced herself to look up, into his eyes.

"Yes. I'm nervous."

He nodded his head towards the South side. "Let's go. I'll explain on the way."

Once off the bridge, they took a sharp left and followed the riverfront. Soon, they entered the dark maze of piers and warehouses and workshops. They could hear the din of the crowd in the background but there was no one else in sight.

When he spoke again, she was surprised by the calm, even tone of his voice. "The first rule is that you're here to watch. Don't interfere. You don't touch anybody and nobody touches you. Okay?"

She swallowed. "Okay."

"The second rule is that you're here to watch. So please do that. Watch us. Don't turn away."

"Sure."

"It's important, Sakura-san. You must keep watching us, and _him _especially."

"Keep watching. Got it. Next rule."

"Don't speak. Not unless I ask you a question. If I do, no matter what it is, your answer's always 'Yes.' Understand?"

"Okay."

"I asked you if you understood me." His voice had an aggravated tone. "Understand?"

She shot him an indignant glance. Then she huffed and crossed her arms.

"Yes."

They continued along the riverfront. She had been down here once, with her father. She was eleven and she remembered it as a busy place, swarming with boats and cargo, stevedores and tradesmen. But that was in the daytime; now, as the last of the twilight slipped away, it seemed like a ghost town.

She bit her lip and then took a breath. "Are you the, uh...?" She quickly glanced to her right, certain that she had seen someone out of the corner of her eye. It was nothing, only their dim reflection in the dark windows of a slaughterhouse. She tapped her fist against her leg and then turned her head toward him.

"Are you the _uke_ or the _seme_?"

He stopped and turned. "Am I the _what_?"

Embarrassed, her gaze trailed downward. "You know. Like when you're practicing taijutsu. The _seme_ is the one who throws the attack, and the _uke_, he's the one who, uh..."

"Receives it?" He was silent for a moment. "Where did you get those terms?"

She continued to look downward. "Well, I have this friend, and she collects comic books with that kind of stuff in it-you know, men with other men-and she used to let me read them, and that's what they-"

"I like that. _Seme_ and _uke_. It's a lot less insulting than people asking you which one 'plays the woman.'"

He continued on, leading her further into the darkness.

"_Seme_. Always." He gave her a quick glance and smiled. "Almost always."

They came to a large, windowless, rectangular building. There were no signs out front, or even something to indicate the address. She was sure that, even in the light of day, it would look just as grim and inhospitable.

Sai went to the only door and unlocked it. He led her inside.

When the lights came on, she saw that the place was a single large, empty room with a concrete floor. The only things inside were a rack of weapons, a few crates, and, on the far wall, a couple of enclosed offices.

He led her to the door of one of the offices. "The Root Division trains here sometimes. It makes a good place to practice our urban warfare tactics."

The inside of the office was bare except for a wooden chair, a few threadbare exercise mats, and a rather large video camera on a heavy-duty stand.

She saw him gesture to the chair. She brushed the dust from it with her hand and sat down.

As Sai rolled the camera into a corner, she saw a smaller camera mounted on the wall, pointed at the center of the room. She stared at it, trying to see if it was on.

He locked the wheels of the large camera and pointed the lens at the wall. "Don't worry. They're not even plugged in." He looked up at the smaller camera. "We used to use that one all the time. Then we needed something a little bigger." He pointed his thumb at the large camera. "Lately, even that's not doing it for us anymore."

"So that's why I'm here? To be a human camera?"

"Well, yes and no. It's...kind of complicated. Why don't we just get started?"

He went through a door to the adjoining office. A few seconds later, he came back through. In his hand was a rope. The other end of the rope was looped around the neck of a man, who was naked except for a black silk bag over his head.

Her eyes went wide. She sat up. She thought she had prepared herself anything but, in that moment, it became obvious that Sai's definition of "anything" was a lot broader than her's. She steeled herself, realizing that their boat had departed the safe harbors of _yaoi dojinshi _and was now riding the currents to a dark corner of the map, the one marked "Terra Incognita" and "Here, there be monsters."

Her insides cringed. It wasn't that she hadn't seen men without their clothes before. As a medical ninja, she had seen every inch of a man's anatomy, both inside and out. But this faceless man, the whiteness of his naked skin contrasted against the darkness of Sai's clothes, seemed _incredibly _naked. She found it difficult to look at him.

Yet she did look. As Sai busied himself with the task of removing the rope from his neck and coiling it up, she stared at the black bag, wondering what-wondering _who_, she reminded herself-was underneath it.

As she stared, she found that the bag made her a little more at ease. She could see him, and he could not see her. She dared to let her gaze drift down to his chiseled collarbone, which she followed to his generous deltoids and powerful biceps.

He was a lot more muscular than the standard "shinobi" physique. Ninjas were trained to hide their capabilities, which included the strength of their bodies. As Iruka-sensei often said, big muscles make a big target.

For once, she was glad to see that someone didn't take his advice. She found it hard to believe that he was going to be the _uke_, not with his lean, muscular chest and his over-developed abdominals. _And his-_

She averted her eyes, embarrassed. She could feel herself blush. She had seen a penis before, of course, though she had never really dared to _look_ at one.

_Coward. It's just a part of the human body. You see them every day, don't you? And it's not like he can see you do it. So do it already. Coward. Go on. Look. Look at it, you coward. Yes. Like that._

She looked at his knees. Slowly, her gaze moved upwards, following his beefy thighs.

She wondered if she was the only person on earth who found the male anatomy to be grotesque and ridiculous. His "package"-the dangling tube with it's dark, misshapen head, flopped over a wrinkly sack and framed by a thicket of dark, bushy curls-was proof enough that God was a woman.

Ridiculous or not, she found it a bit hard to tear her attention away from it. _I wonder what it feels like, having that big..._thing _between your legs all the time? Or what it feels like when it gets hard? When it's sticking straight out, begging for attention? When someone touches it. Stokes it. Holds it in their hand. Kisses that hot skin. Then puts it in their-_

"Earth to Sakura."

She jumped. "Yes!" she said, trying not to sound too surprised.

"It's time." Sai reached over and pulled off the black bag.

She was surprised to see that he was a total stranger. She had never seen him before, either on the streets or as a patient. She was also surprised by how young he looked.

Sai looked down his nose at his fair-haired _uke_. "There's no need for introductions, is there?" He gestured to Sakura. "The lady here has no interest in knowing your filthy name. Isn't that right, ma'am?"

She noticed that Sai was staring at her. She was looking at the man's blank expression and had missed her cue. "Y-yes."

He turned his attention back to the young man. His face had an odd, contemptuous sneer. "You don't even _have _a name, do you? Of course not. None of us do. The Root Division is composed of the orphaned sons of Konoha's heroes. For the most part. But you're different, aren't you?"

He stood behind the man, putting his mouth next to the man's right ear, holding his body a bit too close. His voice was, as always, cool and measured, but now a hateful undertone was developing.

"My records seem to indicate that you're actually the son of a whore. A filthy, cock-sucking whore. You have no father, officially. He could be anyone, couldn't he? Any of the men who took enough pity on her to fuck her diseased cunt and toss her a few ryo."

Sakura squirmed in her seat. His words and the images they conjured were making sick feelings rise in her belly. Part of her wanted to bolt through the door and escape. But another part, the part that was making her stay seated and watch, wanted to hear the rest of the story, to find out how this came to be. And how it would end.

She noticed that the man was doing a better job at keeping his composure. He seemed unaffected by Sai's words. That changed when Sai pulled the man's right hand back and pressed it against his crotch.

"And that's why you're a _faggot_, isn't it?. A cock-sucker, just like your mother. Because you can never know which one he is. Which man your _father _is."

She saw the man's lips part and his eyebrows lower. He was breathing was becoming shorter and faster. From the throbbing of his veins she could see that his heartrate was starting to climb.

Her own heart pounded faster as she watched Sai wrap the man's hand around his crotch and slowly rub his bulge against the man's palm. That bulge started to grow. Then she noticed the man's penis start to elongate.

"That's why you want this, isn't? You want a man to put his cock in your mouth. To fuck you. To feel him pump his semen into you. Because, down deep in your worthless heart, you realize that it could be him. That this could be your chance to be close to him. To know him. Your _father_."

Sai grabbed the man's hair and pulled back until his face pointed upwards. "I'm talking to you! Isn't that the reason, you little faggot? The reason why you want my dick?"

The man's eyes opened wide but he remained silent. He was breathing harder and his nostrils started to tremble.

He pushed the man's head forward. The man had to take a half-step forward to retain his balance.

She was shocked by the look on Sai's face. Never before had she seen him with such an angry look of contempt. He nodded his head toward her.

"Tell her. Tell her what you are."

He looked at her. At first, he looked slightly to the side, but then his eyes locked onto hers. His voice was strong and clear, but his words stammered. "I-I'm a-a..."

Sai rammed his fist into the man's back. "Say it!"

The blow made the man grimace and arch his back. When he recovered, his eyes fixed on hers again. "I-I'm a faggot, ma'am. A dirty faggot."

"And what do you what?"

"I want your dick, sir."

"Tell _her_."

She noticed that he was starting to shake. Despite that, and despite the fear that she could see forming in his wide-open eyes, she also noticed that he was completely hard; so hard, in fact, that the tip of his curved penis was pointing straight up at the ceiling.

"I want his dick, ma'am. In my m-mouth. I want him to...to come...i-in my mouth."

Sai looked at her. "With your permission, ma'am. Shall I?"

_Damn you, Sai. You didn't tell me it was going to be like this. You didn't... Or maybe you did, when you said it was going to be like the stuff in the movie. And it's my fault that I agreed to come here. And watch this...fucked up...whatever-it-is._

She scowled. _And you're making me listen to the f-word over and over, when you know I hate it. And what about you? Aren't you even more of one than he is? Is this your fucked-up idea of a turn-on? This is sick. Just pure sickness._

She stood up and took a step towards them. _And damn you for asking me that. Damn you for trying to make it look like it's my choice whether you abuse him or not. Well, if you're going to make it my choice, then I damn well know what that choice has to be._

She walked up to them and looked in their eyes. Sai's were cruel and stoney and without remorse. The man's were filled not only with fear but with an almost tangible sense of pleading, as though he was begging her for the reply that would end his suffering.

_Fuck you, Sai. You and your little game._

Just as she was opening her mouth to say the word 'no' she noticed that the pleading look in his eyes grew more desperate. His open mouth made slight motions as if silently trying to fill her mouth with the right reponse.

At that moment, she realized what he wanted. The truth struck her like a lightning bolt.

Her scowl vanished. Her shoulders dropped. _Oh my God. He doesn't want me to say 'no.' He wants me to say-no, he _needs _me to say-_

"Yes."

The pleading was replaced by an almost imperceptible look of relief. She didn't even try to pretend like she understood it. She simply returned to her seat and continued to watch them.

Sai grabbed him by the hair again. "Kneel."

The man complied.

Sai moved in front of the man and unzipped his pants. He reached into his fly and extracted his erect penis. He had to bend over slightly to get it out of his tight pants.

She gasped, and her surprise in having gasped that almost made her gasp again. When she wondered why Sai's erection was more shocking, she realized that it was because he was already dressed. Nudity's always more conspicuous when there's clothing to contrast it against. Beyond that, she realized that Sai was someone she knew. _Image Naruto naked. That would be a shock. Or Iruka-sensei. Or Kakashi. Yes, it certainly would be shocking if I saw Kakashi without his clothes. Lying back on a hot summer afternoon with no one around. Stroking himself. And him calling me over, whispering in my ear, telling me to-_

"Put it in your mouth, cock-sucker." Sai slapped the man's face. "Suck it. Like this."

Sai grabbed the man's head and shoved his erection into the man's open mouth. He then began fucking his face.

As she watched, Sakura had another feeling of déjà vu. Then she realized where she had seen this before. It was exactly like the scene from the videotape.

But something was different. Instead of a self-satisfied smirk, Sai looked down on his _uke _with an utterly rapt focus. It was as if he was studying him, gauging his every reaction, taking in every subtle shift in his mood.

She squirmed in her chair again. It took her a while to figure out her fidgeting was more rhythmic this time. She was squeezing her thighs together as she ground her bottom against the seat of her chair. When she realized that she was behaving shamefully, she sat up straight and forced herself not to think of dirty things.

Which was impossible. Sai's cock. The man's lips. The muscles of his arms. His chest. His thick penis. The aromas of leather and sweat and masculine bodies. The smell of sex. The sound of Sai's hot, quick breathing. The strained look on the _uke's_ face, half tortured and half beatific.

Sai broke the silence. "Look at her. She's watching you. As you suck my dick."

She saw his eyes open at look over at her. They were filled with a pitiful sadness. A tear began to form.

"She's watching _you_, faggot. As I shoot my cum down your throat."

He suddenly pulled the man's head in toward him. His body jerked. She knew that he was ejaculating into him.

Tears welled up in the man's eyes when Sai pulled out. A few drops rolled down the man's face. Then he collapsed into a heap on the floor. He began to sob loudly.

Sai quickly zipped himself up and grabbed Sakura's wrist. "Time to go. Now." When she hesitated, he said, "I'll buy you some dessert. My treat. Let's go. Now."

She let him pull her from the room. She stopped and looked back at the blubbering man.

Sai pulled at her wrist. "Let's get out of here. Leave the man a little dignity."

She stopped at the building's door. "Aren't you going to...? I mean, how can you treat your lover like-"

"He's not my lover. He isn't even gay. Come on. Let's go. I'll buy."

Outside, she held the door open for a moment and listened to the man wail. Then, with a heavy heart, she closed the door and followed Sai back to the bridge.


	3. Reactions

**Reactions**

* * *

Sakura couldn't remember crossing the bridge, or being led to the dessert shop, or sitting down at one of the corner tables. All she knew at this moment was that an untouched bowl of peach ice cream anmitsu sat before her, dripping onto the table. And across from her sat Sai, tapping the inside of his glass with his spoon as he dug out the last bits of banana pudding.

He glanced over at her. "Better hurry up and eat that. It's melting."

She stared at the drops of ice cream on the table. The world seemed to be spinning around her. "What just happened? I mean,..."

"We helped someone."

Her unsteady gaze rose to meet his. "I just watched you sexually abuse a straight guy. Tear him to pieces. How can you call that help? I mean, don't you care about his feelings or his-"

"No, Sakura. I don't." He dropped his spoon and let it clatter inside his glass. She winced. He didn't. "I don't care about his feelings. That's impossible. He doesn't have any feelings, and neither do I."

He leaned back. "Everybody in the Root Division is like me. We're all dead." He jabbed his fingers at his heart. "In here."

Another drop fell. He took a paper napkin, unfolded it, and placed her glass on it. He used another to wipe the table. "I can't stand messy things."

"So what does that... I mean, if you don't have any emotions, then-"

He continued to clean. "Well, it's not exactly true that we don't have emotions. It turns out that you can't completely destroy the emotional subsystems of the human brain. The subject gets limbic system failure or cardiac dysrhythmia or epileptic seizures or some other crippling disorder. All kinds of mess. So we still retain our emotional core, but our connections to that core have been disabled."

She looked down at her dessert. The cherry was slowly starting to slide off. "Emotions. But no feelings." She lifted her head to look at him. "So hold on. That's like saying that if you can't feel pain, you can suffer all kinds of injuries and still be alright." Her eyes narrowed. "The thing is, you're not alright. You just can't feel how badly damaged you are."

"Now you understand our problem. Normal humans, like you, can express your emotions. When the emotional stress gets too bad, you can do all kinds of things: yell, scream, fight, cry, fuck, jack off." He gave her a wry smile. "Okay, so maybe the last two don't apply to you so much."

She glared at him. "Funny."

"But for us, none of that works. Having an orgasm is just another bodily function, like sneezing. The only way we can relieve our emotional stress is through catharsis. Overloading our emotions, building the pressure until it all just...comes out."

"Like that boy." She shuddered. "Crying on the floor. All alone."

"And tomorrow, he'll be fine." She watched him smile. She wondered if there were any genuine feelings behind it, or if he simply understood that people smile when certain things are said. "Good for another few months, probably."

"And what happens if you don't? If you just let it go?"

A pall came over his face, one which struck her as being quite genuine. He stared at the table. "Bad things happen. It's probably best that we not talk about it."

After a moment, his eyes cut over to her dissolving dessert. "Are you going to eat that? I don't know how much you get paid at the hospital, but that thing took nearly half my discretionary expenses for the week." He grabbed her spoon and used it to shovel some of her peach ice cream into his mouth.

"Hey!"

He put on a big, cheesy grin. "It's good. No wonder it's your favorite."

"How do you know it's my favorite?"

"It's in your dossier."

Her brow furrowed. "In my what? Is that really in my file? What else do you-"

"Kidding! Just kidding. I heard you talk about it once."

He glanced at her dessert. "Can I have your cherry?" he said, grinning wider.

She scowled at him. "No. You can't just take a lady's cherry like that." She saw that her cherry had slipped down to the side of her glass and was just about to fall over the edge. She grabbed it by the stem and rescued it from that sad fate.

His grin faded into a warm smile. "Eat it. I mean it. That thing was expensive. If I can't enjoy your cherry, then let me at least watch you enjoying it."

"Alright. If it means that much to you." She put the cherry between her teeth and yanked off the stem.

"Eat it, Sakura. Tell me how delicious it is."

She let it fall into her mouth and then slowly chewed it. She had never thought about the taste of candied cherries before. They were always garnishes, pretty decorations that stood between her and the pleasure of her anmitsu; something she always popped in her mouth, mashed between her teeth, and quickly swallowed.

The flesh was firm and juicy, even a bit crisp from all the sugary red syrup it had soaked in. The juice tasted sweet, which she had expected, and surprisingly sour as well. The sour notes of the cherry weren't as intense as the sweetness of the syrup, of course, but she had never bothered to notice that before. The sweetness and sourness didn't cancel each other out; they complimented one another, creating a rich, sweet, tangy, full-bodied delights on her tongue.

The silliness of it all made her smile. "It's good. Delicious."

"I'm glad. Now take a bite of this before I go, so I don't feel like it's been a total waste."

He dug another spoonful of ice cream and held it up. He pulled it away when she tried to grab it.

"Open up."

She scowled again. "I am not going to let you feed me."

"I'm not trying to insult you. You helped me out tonight. And you certainly helped him out. I just want to do something nice in return."

She stared at the loaded spoon. "I still don't see how I was any help at all."

"Because it's getting harder for them to reach catharsis. Each time, I have to go a little farther, dig a little deeper, apply more pressure. Your presence helped me do that."

"And then what? What happens when you can't take them any farther?"

"Same thing that happens if they don't get treated at all They, uh..." As she watched him search for the appropriate word, she noticed that the end of the spoon was starting to quiver. The sadness in his expression struck her as being quite genuine.

He looked into her eyes. "They die."

She noticed that a drop was forming at the bottom of the spoon. Soon, it would fall.

His voice trembled slightly. "I have another problem case next week. Can you help me out?"

"I don't, uh..."

"Can you help me to help him out? Before it's...too late."

She looked at him, then at the spoon. The drop was almost ready to fall. She sighed. Then she leaned forward, opened her mouth, and accepted his offering. It was delicious.

He set the spoon down. "Friday. Six o'clock. Same place. The bridge."

The hostess came as he rose to leave. He set a small stack of coins on the table. "This enough?"

"Yes. Thank you, sir. I hope you both come back very soon."

Sakura looked over at the hostess, the one who had always scowled at her. Tonight, she seemed to be almost beaming with joy.

After Sai left, she turned to Sakura. "It's so nice, ma'am. You know, seeing you with a...you know, a companion. Especially such a good-looking one."

Sakura frowned. "Don't you have dishes to wash or something?"

After the hostess stormed off, Sakura stood up and straightened the hem of her dark green skirt. As she did, she looked down at the spoon.

_His lips and mine on the same spoon. Isn't that what Ino used to call a second-hand kiss? She'd wait for a certain boy and girl to drink from the same fountain and she'd call out "Second-hand kiss! Second-hand kiss!" Stupid kiddy games._

She looked to the East, toward her house. When she saw the living room light still on, she sighed. _Another night of reckless fun and frivolity at the Haruno mansion._

* * *

Before she could grab the knob, the front door of her house swung open.

"Welcome, stranger, to the exquisite mansion of the Haruno clan, home to Mr. and Mrs. Haruno and their often-absent daughter Sakura. Would you care to enter and be treated to a night of reckless fun and frivolity?"

Sakura put her hand on her head. "No, Dad. If it's alright with you, I just want to take a bath and go to bed. It's been a long day."

"We're doing a puzzle tonight. The unicorn one. Your favorite."

"Not tonight, Dad. Please?"

"How about dinner? Your mother made that shrimp stuff you're so crazy about."

She started to climb the stairs. "Already ate, Dad. You two go ahead."

When her bath was ready, she settled into the tub and let the hot water ease her tired muscles. She tried to relax and get lost in a pleasant daydream, but the chatter of her mother and father downstairs interfered. He was telling the tale of an office party ten years ago when his section chief had a little too much to drink and thought it would be a great idea to blow out the candles on his birthday cake with a fire extinguisher. She sighed. The first time she heard that story, she thought it was the most hilarious thing ever. These days, nothing seemed funny anymore.

She also thought about the man in the warehouse and whether he was still there, crying. She could remember plenty of times she had cried like that. _Mostly over Sasuke. So many wasted tears._

_If I was there, I could comfort him. The guy in the warehouse, of course. Sasuke seems to be far beyond the point where comfort will do any good._

_But what about that guy? It must be terrible to be there, all alone. No shoulder to cry on. I would give him my shoulder, if he wanted it. Wrap my arms around him. Give him a hug. Hold him. That big body. His muscular arms around my waist. Those bulging abs pressing against my hips. His wide shoulders. His hands wander up my back to my shoulder blades and then down past my belt. He pulls me in. His body is hot, like he's on fire. He kisses my shoulder, softly, then keeps kissing me, harder and harder, moving down my chest to the tip of my-_

She sat bolt upright. _The bathroom is not the place to think about things like that. Especially _those_ things._

She started taking deep breaths, forcing herself to relax. She kept her eyes glued to the door, afraid that it would burst open again, just like when she was eleven.

_It was the only time I ever played with my "down there." Right before "it" was about to happen, my father walks in. Blisters my ass. Tells me how shameful and dirty I was being. How disgusting it was. I'll never make that mistake again._

She pulled the plug from the drain and stood up. _To hell with relaxation. I'm tenser than ever right now._

As she laid in bed, she listened to her parent's sparse banter, barely audible over the pounding of her heart. If they were this quiet, they must have completed the edges and all of the easy parts. All that remained were the broad swaths of murky background, which required a lot of concentration to piece together.

_Can't relax. I shouldn't have gone there. Didn't know I would get so worked up about it. All that stuff about his mother. And the f-word. So cruel._

But he wanted it. I could see it in his face. What kind of life do you have to lead before you want that to happen to you?

_The black bag. Covering his face, like with a hunting falcon. Turning him into an animal. A piece of meat. A body._

_And I looked at him. Without any shame. Dirty. Disgusting. Touching him. With my eyes._

When she realized that she had been squeezing her thighs together, she shoved the pillow between her legs to keep them apart. She rolled over.

_The bag. He can't see me. Touching him. His hot flesh. My hands on his body. Feeling him._

_I kiss his chest. "Who is it?" he says. I don't answer. I keep kissing his body. Down his tight stomach. To his hips._

_There it is. Right in front of me. He can't see me. But I can see him. I can see it, hanging there. It's getting hard. It wants me to touch it._

She realized that the pillow was a bad idea. She was grinding her pelvis into it, intensifying her shamefulness.

_It's getting stiff. Standing up. Begging. "Who's there?" he says. He's getting a little scared. I don't answer. I'm the master. And I'll ask the questions. I lean forward. Kiss him. Down there. So hot. He wants it so bad. I'm getting wet. I can feel it._

_So hard. Needs release. Kiss it again. Feel it. Begging me. "Want it?" I say. "In my mouth?" I feel his desire. He wants it. So bad. He says-_

"You okay, Sakura? I heard you moaning."

She jumped. "Dad! I-I-I'm fine. I'm okay! Okay?"

"You don't sound okay."

"It's, uh... Leg cramp. From training. I swear!"

The handle rattled. "Why did you lock your door?"

She struggled to remove the pillow and untangle herself from the twisted sheets. "Sorry! Must have done it on accident. Be there in a second."

Finally free, she pretended to limp to her door. She unlocked it. "Gomenasai."

Her father stepped in and watched her hobble back to the bed. "You want me to rub on it?"

Her eyes open wider. Her knees clamped together. "You want to...to rub it?"

"Your leg. You said you had a cramp."

She exhaled. "Oh. Sure. I guess."

"Which one is it?"

"Left. No, right. Both, actually." Suddenly, she realized that if she was sitting with her leg up, there was no way she could hide the wet spot on her underpants. "Neither! It's gone away. Mostly. I'm okay."

He sat down next to her. She covered her lap with her pillow. Her heart rate shot through the roof when she felt a slightly damp patch on the side of it.

"What did you do tonight?"

"Nothing. Just...went out. With a friend." Her eyes trailed down. "Saw a show. Had some ice cream."

"Ino?"

"No, it was, uh..." She tried to buy time by faking a yawn. She knew her father would go through the roof if he found out that she had gone out - alone - with a boy. "It was Sai. My new teammate. The one who draws those pictures."

To her great surprise, her father did not go ballistic. If anything, she swore that, in the dim light of her room, her father looked strangely pleased.

"That's nice. Did you two have fun?"

"I guess. It was nice. Well, it had its ups and downs." Her eyes widened. "Not too much fun, you know." She whispered. "You don't have to worry. He doesn't like girls."

"Oh." Instead of being happy about that, she thought her father looked slightly disappointed.

He stood up. "Well, at least you're over that Uchiha boy. It broke my heart to watch you dragging yourself around the house."

In her mind, she saw Sasuke's eyes: fierce, powerful, inhuman, merciless. The coldness of his expression as he tried to kill Naruto.

"Yeah, I'm certainly over him." She tried to make her voice sound confident and carefree, but she knew that it sounded hideously forced.

"If you need to talk about things, we're always here. If you have questions, you know, about life, or love, or boys. Or growing up. I mean, we-"

"I'm fine, Dad. I know about all that stuff."

He looked down at the floor. "Or anything. Anything at all. I know I've said and done some things that, you know, I didn't really mean, and I-"

She clicked her tongue. "What are you talking about? You've always been the perfect dad. Always been there for me."

"I know. It's just that..."

"Good night, Dad."

He glanced at her and then turned to leave. "Good night, Sakura."


	4. Homosexual Panic

**Homosexual Panic**

* * *

"Homosexual what?"

"Homosexual panic," said Sai. They had left the bridge and were making their way through the darkened streets. "It's the intense anxiety that many straight men feel when the subject of homosexuality comes up. As you've seen, it's a powerful tool."

Sakura walked beside him, not bothering to remain a step behind him as she had last Friday. "And that's why you do this? Because it doesn't affect you?"

"That and other things." He glanced over to her with a sly smile. "Part of that, I suppose, is that I have a bit of sadistic streak."

He continued on. "The trouble is, the more I rely on that tool, the weaker it gets. Initially, all I would have to do is get close to them or kiss them or start touching them in certain places. Now, it seems like I'm having to do the most extreme things to get some of them to initiate their catharsis."

She looked out at the dark water of the Nakano River. She tightened her grip on the medical bag. "Do any of them start...I don't know...touching you back?"

"It happens. They don't become gay, obviously, but some may have a bisexual nature that they never knew was there. For others, it's...more complicated. Sometimes, their physical need to touch and be touched overcomes their repugnance toward homosexual contact."

"Is there anything you won't do? I mean, all that stuff you said about his family was-"

"No. As far as I'm concerned, nothing is off the table. Nothing is sacred."

He glanced over at her again. "When you treat your patients, do you refuse to do things that hurt? You wouldn't be much of a doctor if you did. Needles, sutures, saws,..." He reached up and pretended to rub his jaw. "...and the occasional right hook."

"Sorry," she said. "But you were kind of an asshole when you first joined Team Kakashi. Now..."

He shoved his hands in his pockets. "The truth is, I have no idea who his family was. Most of us were found in the wreckage left by the nine-tailed fox, and we don't know whose families we might have belonged to. Deep down, we all live with the fear that we really are the sons of whores and cowards and traitors."

"Are you ever afriad of that? "

He stopped. He was silent for a moment, and then he continued walking. "No. Never."

* * *

She took her seat, and set her medical pouch beside the chair. The large camera that was in the corner of the room was gone, but the small camera remained mounted on the wall. She pointed at it. "When are you taking that thing down?"

He looked up at it. "Eventually. I keep forgetting it's there." He looked back at her. "Okay. What are the rules again?"

"Watch. And only say 'Yes.'"

"And don't interfere. You bent that rule last week, remember? Don't do that tonight. Especially tonight. Understand?"

"Sure." Before he could object, she said, "Yes."

When Sai returned from the neighboring office, he led another masked man into the room. He was shorter that Sai, and his body was darker and a bit more muscular. As before, Sai carefully removed the rope from the man's neck and coiled it neatly.

This time, Sakura's eyes went to his penis without the slightest hesitation. The flesh was darker this time and a ruddy foreskin covered the head. His balls were darker still. _I wonder if they taste different, just like dark chocolate tastes different._

She lightly slapped her thigh for thinking such a dirty thing. She slapped it again when she imagined herself kneeling in front of him._ Leaning forward. Resting my cheek against his thigh. Feeling the muscles. The hot blood, rushing. His scent, strong. My tongue, reaching out, licking his-_ Slap._Working my tongue along the underside. Feeling it get hard. Long. Big. Wanting me. To put it in my-_ Slap!

"You okay?" said Sai.

Her face turned red as she grabbed the edge of the seat. "Yes." She stared at the floor and listened to her pounding heartbeat.

She looked up again when she heard a ratcheting sound. Sai was using handcuffs to secure the man's wrists behind his back.

She couldn't help but to let her eyes wander to the man's waist again. His penis was growing longer.

Sai stood behind the masked man and spoke into his ear with a rough whisper. "You can smell her, can't you? Her scent. That's what's making you hard, isn't it?" Sai leaned in a little closer, pressing his body against the man's back. "Or it is me? The feel of a man's body?" Sai shifted slightly, aligning hips with the man's. Then Sai pressed in closer. From the difference in their heights, she could tell that Sai's crotch was grinding against the man's bound hands.

Sai's whisper grew a little louder. "Isn't that what's making you stiff?"

Sakura looked back at the man's crotch. His cock was nearly standing out straight, and the foreskin revealed more of the pinkish head.

Sai reached up and around the man's chest, grabbing the lump that was probably his chin. He turned the man's head toward him a little. He pressed his hips in tighter. "Is that what you want? My dick? You want to suck my dick?" Sai slapped the side of the black bag. "Like a faggot?"

Sai pulled the bottom of the bag up, just enough to uncover the man's mouth. He thrust two fingers between the man's lips. "Suck it, faggot. Like it's my big, hairy dick. Suck it until I come down your throat. Isn't that what you want? To feel a man draining his balls into your mouth? His sperm, oozing down your throat?"

She swallowed. All of the talk about sucking was making her own mouth water up. She grabbed her seat even tighter. It was getting harder to sit in a ladylike fashion. The impulse to do something terribly shameful was becoming intolerable.

Sai's eyes glanced at her for a moment. "You know why I brought her, don't you? So that she'll keep me from going too far. From doing something that you might regret in the morning." Sai smiled. "Yes. We're going to play that game. Excited yet?"

The man's penis shot up, as if responding to Sai's question. The pale head was almost halfway exposed. A pearlescent drop was starting to form at the tip.

Sai pulled his fingers out of the man's mouth, wiped them on the man's belly, and then he pulled his hand back to reach into one of the pockets of his leather jacket. He pulled out a shiny metal object. When Sakura realized that it was a surgical scalpel, she nearly jumped out of her seat.

"What shall we start with? The top half?" He reached around and held the knife in front of the man. Then he peered around the man's shoulder to get a better look at his chest.

Sakura held her breath when she saw the blade touch the skin near the few scraggly hairs that grew on the man's chest. The blade scraped the skin, shaving the hairs off. When the blade lifted, she exhaled.

"Feel how sharp that is? Sharp as a razor. It could probably cut through nearly anything on your body. Including..."

She grabbed her seat tighter when Sai laid the scalpel against the man's nipple. When she noticed that he was pressing the unsharpened back side of the blade against it, her grip loosened.

"I'm going to cut you, faggot. Just enough to see the blood come out. Ready? You won't feel much of anything. The blade is very sharp." Sai's voice became louder. "Isn't that right, Doctor? That extremely sharp blades like these are nearly painless when they slice through a patient's flesh?"

She crossed her arms. _Bastard! Is that all you needed me for? Could have rented yourself a fucking parrot._ She glared at Sai. "Yes."

Sai looked back at her. He gave her one of his fake smiles. "Got your medical kit handy?"

_Asshole. Making me haul that heavy-ass pouch all the way across town. And for what? Your fucking make-believe power trip? Go fuck yourself._

"Yes."

"Then let's begin. On the count of three. One."

The man trembled.

"Two."

He trembled again and made a small whimper.

"Three." The dull edge of the knife slipped across the top of the man's tight, puckered nipple. He convulsed once and then stood still, cringing, his head bent.

Sai moved around the the man's side and then leaned forward so that his face was over the phoney cut. "That's a beauty! Hasn't even started to bleed yet. Wait. Here it comes. Here it comes."

Sakura saw Sai pucker up and form a blob of spit between his lips. She smiled when the blob dripped down towards the man's belly. When it hit, she saw the man convulse several more times. _Clever little bastard, aren't you?_

Sakura was sure that the man would start crying but she heard nothing more than his labored breath under the black bag.

Sai frowned. He waited for several seconds before speaking. "This used to be enough to satisfy you, faggot. Making you suck my dick or lick my hairy anus. Cutting your nipples. But you need more than that, don't you? You need me to do that."

"No," said the man.

Sai's hand shot down and his fingers slapped the man's testicles. When the man bent over from the pain, Sai grabbed the black bag and yanked him back up.

"Shut up! You know that you're not allowed to talk." Sai yanked the bag again. "Obey your orders, cock-sucker. Remember that Danzo has given me permission to do anything I want to you. Anything. Even slicing your dick off."

Sakura watched Sai lay the back side of his scalpel across the man's erect penis. She was surprised that he could still keep it up after having his testicles flogged. She tilted her head and watched the blade, wondering what trick Sai was going to pull this time.

When the man started shaking, Sai said, "Hold still. I can't make a clean cut if you won't hold still."

Sakura could see that the man's quivering had stopped. From his awkward posture and his clenched muscles, she could tell that he was using a lot of force to remain motionless.

Sai smirked at Sakura. "Ready, Doctor? If the worst should happen?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yes."

"Okay. One." He tilted the scalpel until it was against the side of his shaft. When he did, the man whimpered again.

"Two." He shot her a glance. She stuck out her tongue at him.

"Two and a half." He rotated the scalpel so that the sharp edge was against his skin.

Sakura tilted her head further, trying to guess Sai's game plan.

"Three." He sliced downwards.

Sakura saw the man turn away. She didn't have enough time to see if he really had been cut. Then she saw blood dripping down his dark testicles.

When he turned back toward her, she could clearly see the deep laceration and, inside, the pink, spongy mass of the corpus cavernosum.

Then she heard screaming. She looked up at the man's face. Sai had removed the bag and the man was staring down at the incision. Tears ran down his face as he beagn to convulse.

Sai helped him lay on his side. He wailed as a pool of blood formed on the dirty concrete below his hip.

Sai calmly reached over to unlock the handcuffs. "Uh, Doctor. I think we could use your services."

For a moment, she sat quivering, her eyes locked on the bloody mess. Then she came to her senses and grabbed her medical pouch.

* * *

Sakura numbly stared at her ice cream anmitsu. The cherry slid down the dissolving pile of whipped cream and fell off the side onto the table below.

Sai scraped the last of his pudding from the bottom of his glass. "He has a severe phobia about castration."

She nearly jumped out of her seat. "Thank you! I never would have guessed! Think you could have told me that an hour ago?"

He glanced over at her. "Would you have still gone?"

"No! I mean, you almost cut off his-" She whirled her head around, looking to see if anybody could hear them. There were no other patrons at the surrounding tables.

He sighed. "I avoided the major blood vessels. It only looked bad."

"It looked horrible! He's lying there, and he's naked, and his blood's coming out, and he's sobbing like..."

"We talked about this earlier. I need to hurt people to help them. And he's one of my worst cases. Homosexual panic won't do it anymore. I think he's starting to enjoy being abused. And faking the castration isn't working, either. I had to go further."

He put his hand on hers. "And you helped me do that. Thank you for-"

She yanked her hand away. "No more. That's it. I won't do this anymore. Get somebody else."

"There is no one else, Sakura. But if you can't handle this any more, I understand. I won't try to make you come." He turned in his seat and faced her. "But know this: what we did tonight saved that man's life. Thank you for that."

She crossed her arms and cut her eyes over to him. "So what's next for him? I mean, what are you going to do next time? Cut it all the way off?"

Sai smiled. "Fortunately, I won't need to answer that question for a few months." He smile faded. "But you're right. Eventually, the subject runs out of options. Nothing has enough power to initiate the catharsis. Then..."

She turned toward him slightly. "Then? Then what?

He stared at her dripping dessert with a distant look in his eyes. "When it happens, they start crying. Usually, they don't even know they're doing it. The tears just start coming. The rest happens soon after. Seizures, cardiac arrest, respiratory failure. The worst was the one who forgot how to breathe. The part of the limbic system which controls breathing just...stopped. He just sat there, mouth open. knowing he needed air but with no idea how to get it. Worked on him for hours, pumping his chest. Terrible."

She huffed. "I'm not letting you sucker me again. I won't come with you next week. Or ever. I'm done."

He rose. "That's fine. I won't force you into something you don't want to do. At least let me walk you home tonight."

She turned her head away. "I don't need your protection."

"Not offering it. You're my friend. My only friend, besides Naruto. I just want to spend a few more minutes with you. After all, I can't enjoy your company on Friday nights anymore. Let me pay for this and-"

"I'll pay," she said. She stood up and went across the room to the cash register.

Sai watched Sakura as she conversed with the hostess. He saw the hostess's smile fade as Sakura's gestures became more animated and her words echoed from the walls.

He picked up her forgotten cherry. He held the candied fruit between his teeth and yanked off the stem. He chewed it slowly, savoring its unique texture and flavor as he watched Sakura, taking in her every motion.

A drop of the red juice dribbled from the corner of his mouth onto his chin. With a napkin, he wiped it clean.

* * *

When Sakura's father opened the door, he was surprised to see that she was not alone. He grinned and called his wife over to greet the young man who had walked her home.

She peeked around the door frame at the darkened living room. "It's Friday night. What happened to your 'fun and frivolity' thing?"

Her mother stared at Sai with wide eyes. "You said you were going out, dear, so we didn't bother." Her mother smiled. "Who's your friend?"

Sakura clicked her tongue. "It's just Sai, Mom." She sighed. "Okay, okay, I'll do the introduction thing. Sai, this is my Mom and Dad. Mom, Dad, this is Sai." She turned to Sai. "I'm here. You can go now."

Sakura's father reached out and grabbed Sai's arm. "He's just gotten here. Come on in, son. Sit down. Make yourself at home."

"Dad!"

Sakura's mother grabbed Sai's other arm. "You're tall. Do you like to do puzzles?"

Sai smiled broadly. "I love puzzles. But Sakura's right. I really shouldn't impose."

Sakura's father reached over and snapped on the living room light. "Nonsense, son. We love having people over. And this won't take all night. It's only 500 pieces."

"He's not staying, Dad. He was just walking me home and-"

"Oh, let him stay," said Sakura's mother. "Be nice for once. And help me set up the card table."

"And I'll get the drinks," said Sakura's father. "Oh, can you give me a hand, Sai? The arthritis in my hands is acting up."

Sakura took the card table from her mother and began to unfold the legs. "What about the pills I gave you?"

Sakura's father grabbed Sai's wrist and pulled him towards the kitchen. "I keep forgetting to take them. We'll only be a minute."

In the kitchen, Sakura's father began pulling glasses from the cabinet. "So, Sai, what do you do for the village?"

"It's kind of hush-hush. I can't really talk about it"

Her father smiled. "That sounds a lot more exciting than my job. Worst thing that can happen to you there is a paper cut. Do you two plan on going out next Friday?"

"I would love to, but I don't think Sakura does. She thinks that I want to be 'just friends' with her."

Her father started opening cans of soda. "Yeah, she kind of thinks that you're, uh..."

"Gay? Yeah, I sort of told her a white lie when I first met her. She kept going on and on about that Uchiha guy, and I didn't want to interfere and, uh..." He scratched the back of his neck. "Anyway, now that I actually do want to interfere..."

Her father twisted the ice trays to force out the last of the cubes. "You're stuck. Need a hand with getting unstuck?"

Sai's gaze faltered. "You're already doing too much for me. I shouldn't-"

Sakura's mother slipped in through the kitchen door. She gave Sai a warm smile. "So, are you taking her out next week?"

Sai started to answer but Sakura's father cut him off. "It's complicated. I'll explain later. And don't worry, Sai. I'm sure we can convince her to give you another shot next Friday."

He bowed his head. "Thank you very much."

Sakura thrust her head into the kitchen. "Why the hell does it take three people to get four drinks? Come on. The sooner we start, the sooner we finish."

When she retreated, her father leaned toward Sai. "You sure about this? She's a quite a handful."

Sai picked up the tray with the drinks. "Yes. I'm sure. Out of everyone in this village, she's the one I need. No one else will do."


	5. A Touching Situation

**A Touching Situation**

* * *

"I'll kill you!"

Sakura smashed her fist into a tree, snapping in two. As it fell, she grabbed it and swung it at her prey, missing him by a hairsbreadth.

Her target scrambled through the underbrush, trying to evade her punishing attacks. Unfortunately, he went towards the embankment that overlooked the river. When he reached it, he stopped and turned, unable to choose between leaping into the icy water below or getting smashed by an oak tree. Paralyzed with fear, he watched the massive trunk swing toward him.

Then it froze in mid-air. Fingers of wood shot out from the sides. Some of them held up the broken trunk, while others wrapped around Sakura's body, preventing her from delivering her wrath.

Captain Yamato stepped out into the open and faced Sakura. "I take it that Naruto has done something to upset you again."

Her eyes burned with a dark green fire. "That little fucker CAN NOT just unzip his fly and start peeing whenever he feels the urge! There's a LADY out here, dammit."

Naruto exhaled what he had thought would be his last breath. "Sorry, Sakura-chan. Guess I should check first. Although, since you're stuck there, I can just turn around and take care of business without you seeing anything."

He whirled around and walked to the edge of the embankment. Looking out at the water, he began to relieve his aching bladder.

A moment later, a curious expression came across his face. "That's funny. Where's the splash?"

Sai's voice erupted from the sandy riverbank below. "I'll kill you!"

When Sai scrambled over the embankment, Yamato was surprised. He had never seen seen such a furious expression on the face of a Root member. His eyes opened wider when he saw the kunai flash in Sai's hand.

Sai chased the fleeing Naruto. "Fuck if I'm counting to three! I'm gonna cut that little fucker straight off and use it for bait!"

Yamato performed a series of handsigns. More fingers of wood shot out and wrapped themselves around Sai, immobilizing him.

Yamato crossed his arms and sighed. "Naruto. Come out."

Naruto slowly peeked out from behind a tree. He was shaking.

Yamato pointed to the woods. "Find a secluded spot. Make sure that absolutely no one else can see you. Then make sure you have a clear line of fire. Check it and recheck it. Then exercise all of the bodily functions that you need to exercise. Afterwards, we'll discuss the subject of appropriate discretion in a tactical environment. Again."

He motioned at Sakura. The fingers of wood carried her struggling body toward him. Her face was contorted with anger.

"Is that all you're going to do to him?" she said. "You're letting him get away with murder _again_?"

"Haruno-san. This is my squad, not Kakashi's. I will lead it by whatever method I deem appropriate. And while we're on the subject of appropriate behavior, was it necessary to attack Naruto like that for such a minor indiscretion?"

She blubbered, trying desperately to find words that could express the magnitude of her outrage.

He looked directly into her eyes. "Then let me ask you this, Haruno-san. One shinobi to another. Do you have a boyfriend?"

"A boyfriend? Why the hell are you asking me that? What-" The fire in her eyes suddenly burned with a furious intenstiy. "How DARE you ask me that? I am a LADY and you will NOT suggest that LADY needs to get-"

Yamato waved his hand and her body went flying through the air. She landed in the middle of the icy river. Almost immediately, she shot upwards and shrieked. Her teeth chattered as she rubbed her arms to keep warm.

Yamato walked up to the drop-off. "Stay in there, Haruno-san. Until you're finally ready to _act _like a lady."

He then strolled over to Sai. "And you. I'm not used to seeing an agent from Root lose control like that."

Sai's face was livid. "He PEED on me. My God! How stupid do you have to be to PEE on somebody?" His nose wrankled. "I can still SMELL it on me. It's DISGUST-"

Yamato waved his hand again and Sai went flying. With a mighty splash, he fell into the water, not three meters from Sakura.

"Well, then. This is your opportunity to wash it all out. And to cool off. Don't come out until you both are ready to meet my standards for teamwork."

"It's freezing!" said Sai, wrapping his arms around his bare midriff.

"Perhaps you might convince your boss to buy you a longer shirt next time," said Yamato as he turned to leave.

Sai stripped off his dripping shirt and hurled it into the water. When the splash hit Sakura, she shrieked again.

He picked up the shirt and began wringing it out. "Sorry."

She crossed her arms. "Fucking Yamato. _He's_ the one that needs to get laid. Him and Tsunade."

Sai dunked his shirt again. "Hopefully not with each other."

She couldn't help but to smile. "That's disgusting. Her, bent over the desk. Him, coming up behind and-" She shivered. "I don't want to even _think _about that."

He wrung his shirt out again. He sniffed it and wrankled his nose again. "You coming tonight?"

She huffed. "Do I have a choice? My parents have been hounding me to go out with you that all week. I'm surprised they haven't picked out a wedding dress for me yet."

"At least they'll know the color."

"Not you, too," she said. She watched him rinse his shirt and wring it out again. The muscles in his chest and arms moved in time with his hands. A drop of water clung to one of his stiff brown nipples before it ran down his taut stomach.

She looked down and saw that her own chest was in a similar state. If she had been thrown in with Naruto, she would have covered herself immediately.

_But I'm fine. After all, it's only Sai._

She bit her lip and then drew a breath. "Is it really that obvious? That I, uh...need a boyfriend?"

He glanced at her and gave her a quick smile. "What answer won't get me killed?"

She turned and started to wade back to shore. "Thanks. You're a lot of help."

"Six o'clock," he said. "Same place. And no blood this time. I won't even have to use the f-word."

She stopped and glanced back. "Really?"

Sai sniffed the shirt again. This time, his expression remained unchanged. "Really. Because he's an f-word too."

* * *

"Forced feminization? What the hell is that supposed to be?"

"It's a shaming technique where the subject is forced to dress like a woman. Can be very effective when used against certain individuals."

Sakura tapped her fist against her leg as they walked along the darkened docks. "And let me guess. Tonight's victim is one of those individuals."

"If I attack his masculinity hard enough, he's mine."

She tapped harder. "So what do you want me to do?"

"Just sit there. Your presence in the room will intensify his shame."

She furrowed her brow. "You wouldn't believe how much my parents _adore _you."

He smiled. "We could switch places. Next Friday, I'll go play cards with your parents, and you can play 'Master and Slave' with some hot, young, straight guy. Sorry. _Mistress _and Slave." When she didn't respond, he walked a little closer to her. "Imagine the scene. You and him. Alone. His taut, muscular body, eager and willing, trained to obey your every-"

"Please. That's disgusting." She frowned, knowing that her words sounded awkward and forced. "Is that why you do this? You get to touch straight guys and make them do stuff?"

"No. I don't like having sex with straight guys. It feels...weird. Unnatural." He looked over at her. "I do it because it helps them. After all, when you do a prostate exam, do you think about how _sexy _it is when you stick your finger in some old guy's-"

"Please! That's disgusting!" This time her response sounded quite natural.

"But you do anyway, right? It's not like you're going to refuse."

"No. Of course not."

"So you understand how I feel about it." He looked over and saw that her face was still scrunched with confusion. "Just a little, maybe."

* * *

Perhaps it was all the _yaoi dojinshi _she used to read. When Sai led the man through the door, unmasked, she thought she would see one of those pretty men from the comic books: triangular face, lithe body, impossibly large eyes, long hair that was styled just so.

Instead, tonight's victim looked like a straight guy. His dark hair was closely cropped, and his face was square and rugged. Like Sai in his leather jacket and boots, the man exuded a vigorous-yet-relaxed masculinity, but his dark aura was stronger than Sai's, despite his nakedness.

The only clue she had to his orientation were his dark eyes. His gaze didn't linger on her breasts or her hips. When she uncrossed her legs, his eyes didn't shoot down to the patch of shadow under the hem of her short skirt.

She surveyed the vanity that stood near the door. It had been painted an irritating shade of pink, which clashed with the cheap blonde wig that had been draped over the back of the matching chair. A frilly pink babydoll dress, lacy white panties, and a ridiculously over-stuffed bra hung from the corners of the ornate mirror. When her dinner threatened to come back up, she looked away and crossed her arms.

Sai moved in close to the man. "Tonight, little girl, you're going to be my bitch. First I'm going to make you pretty. Then I'm going to fuck you like the dirty whore you are. That's why you're here, isn't it?"

Sakura huffed.

Sai grabbed the wig and placed it on the man's head. "Very pretty. Nice, long, pretty hair. Long and flowing. Like a little girl. Don't you agree, Sakura?"

When Sai heard no response, he looked over at her. When he saw her stony expression, his eyes narrowed.

She huffed again and crossed her arms tighter. "Yes."

Sai prodded the man over to the mirror and gestured for him to look at his reflection. The man's face twinged.

Sai stroked the wig. "Once I do your makeup, you'll look even prettier." He grabbed the padded bra. "Hold your arms out, little girl. I'm going to dress you."

When Sai finished, he looked over at Sakura and pointed to the enormous white cups. "Very pretty, don't you think? Sakura? Sakura?"

She glared at him. "It's fucking adorable. Alright?"

He stared back at her as she tapped her foot on the concrete floor. Then he resumed his work. "Time for my little girl's panties." He reached over for them but he stopped his hand short. "Wait a moment. It's that time of the month, isn't it?" He reached into one of the drawers of the vanity and pulled out a pink tampon applicator. "You shouldn't ruin your pretty clothes. Bend over. I'll plug up your little cunt for you."

Sakura tilted her head as she wondered where Sai was going to insert the applicator. When she realized that there was only one possible location, she made a loud groan.

Sai stopped and looked over at her. "You okay, Sakura?"

She tilted her head back and stared down her nose at him. "Yes. Because 'yes' is the only thing I _can _say, right? Therefore, I _have _to be okay."

"Sakura, what are you-"

"I mean, that's why I'm here, right? To sit here and watch you shove a fucking tampon up some guy's butt, because you know that's the one thing in the world I _really _want to see right now."

"Sakura."

"And, of course, I get to sit here and listen to you say 'bitch' and 'cunt' and 'whore' and 'fag-" She looked away for a moment. Then her eyes locked onto Sai's. "And '_faggot_.' There. I said it. You finally made me say it. Happy now?"

Sai started walking toward her. "Sakura, I'm not-"

"I mean, I was alright with all the boy-on-boy stuff. Except for the castration and the slapping and the f-word, like, all the _fucking _time, and-"

He stood next to her. "Look, I'm sorry if-"

She rose up but she didn't face him. Her eyes were fixed on the blank wall in front of her. A tear began to run down her face. "But then you start up with the b-word and the c-word, and-"

"Sakura. You-"

"And you _know _how I feel about that. And I _know _he's not a real girl, but it still hurts when you stand there and-"

"Sakura. You need to relax."

"I _can't_ relax, Sai. I can't. I mean, there's the hospital and these stupid C-rank missions we always get and Tsunade and Yamato and my parents and Naruto and...and Sasuke and now there's _you _and all this _stuff _and-"

"Sakura!"

She looked up at him. Her mouth hung open.

"Sit down! Now!"

She surprised herself when she felt her butt hit the seat of the chair. She stared straight ahead with gaping eyes as he came around behind her.

He leaned against the back of the chair and put his mouth next to her ear. His body was almost touching hers. His words were dark, commanding whispers. "Sit up straight."

She did.

"Scoot forward. More. Until you're on the edge of the seat."

She complied.

"Lean back."

She froze.

"Now."

She started to shake.

"Now, soldier. Move!"

She hesitated for a moment and willed her body to lean back. She rested her quivering shoulders against the back of the chair.

"Pull up your skirt."

Her right hand moved up. Her fingers wrapped around the hem of her skirt. She clenched it so hard that her thumb was turning white.

"Pull it up."

She closed her eyes. Her body trembled as she forced herself to move. She stopped when her fingers felt the smooth cotton of her underwear.

"Touch yourself."

"I can't. I can't do that. I can't. I..." She opened her eyes and shot a look at the door. "He's going to come in here and-"

Sai strode over to the vanity, grabbed the pink chair, and jammed it under the doorknob. He shoved his foot against it. The knob creaked and bent upwards a few degrees. He grabbed the knob and yanked on it. The door didn't budge.

He came back and stood behind her again. "Nobody's coming through that door. Nobody can see you. And nobody will ever know. What happens in Root, stays in Root. That is sacrosanct."

"But I can't just... I mean, it's-"

"Do it, Sakura. Because you can't hold in it forever. I know. I see it in your face every day. That everything will be alright if you just fight a little harder, dig a little deeper, deny yourself a little more. And that's what's made you strong, just like it's made me strong."

He leaned in a little closer. She could feel his warm breath against her neck. "But it's also tearing you apart inside. You need release, just like we do. Or you're going to explode. And you know that. You can feel it, can't you? Like a time bomb inside you, ticking, ticking, ticking." He pressed in closer until she could almost feel his lips on her ear. "Then, before you know it...boom."

"I... I can't..."

"Why?"

Her mouth opened but no words came out. She swallowed and then swallowed again. Finally, in a small, trembling voice, she said, "Not with you...looking at me."

Sai rose. He walked over to the man and unhooked the ludicrous bra. Sai flung it across the room, followed by the wig. He stood in front of the man and gazed into his eyes. "She doesn't want us looking at her. What ever shall we do to occupy ourselves?"

The man smiled and leaned in for a kiss.

Sakura was transfixed. Nothing in Ino's _yaoi dojinshi _had prepared her for this. There was no cruel _seme_, no obedient _uke_. They were simply two ordinary men, their powerful bodies pressing together, their eyes half-closed with desire. The only sounds were their quickening breaths, the rustle of fabric against skin, the creak of leather, and the soft smacking of their needy lips as they mashed together.

She saw the man ran his left hand up Sai's back, under his jacket, while his right hand roughly caressed Sai's buttocks and pulled him in tighter.

Then, for the first time that night, she noticed the man's penis, pale pink with a ruddy head, almost brilliant against the dark denim of Sai's pants. It was very stiff and towered upwards with a slight curve. The tip of it poked under the bottom of Sai's black jacket. Her knees quivered when she thought about how the grain of the leather must have felt against the straining flesh.

They parted. A moment later, she inhaled sharply. She hadn't noticed that she had forgotten to breathe.

She watched Sai remove his jacket. He stepped over to her and spread it over her lap. He smiled. "There you go. No one can see you."

The inside of the jacket was warm against her legs. She wondered if the heat was more from Sai's body or from the hand that was caressing it. She pictured that hot flesh on her knee. Imagined it moving up her thigh. Past the hem. Felt her legs part as it sought out her most secret places.

"Oh God," she said. Her voice was barely a whisper. "Oh my God."

She looked over. Sai was kissing the man. Their mouths were open and she imagined how the man's tongue would feel against her's: hot and wet, strong and supple. She watched the man's hand grab Sai's buttocks and squeeze them with vigorous lust. The sight made her squirm in her seat.

She watched Sai grind his crotch against the man's hip and watched his hand reach down to stroke the man's begging erection. She was surprised to see his hand move with an almost glacial slowness. She wondered if Sai was trying to frustrate his partner. When she saw his hand stroke the man's balls in the same languid way, she realized that Sai was simply satisfying his own need to feel a gay man's flesh, at long last.

Sai broke from the kiss and lowered his head to kiss the man's neck and then his chest, just under the collarbone. He lowered himself, blazing a trail of hungry, wet, open-mouthed kisses.

When Sakura realized where that trail would end, she swallowed and felt her heartbeat quicken. Sai kneeled before the man and her breaths came harder and faster.

She swallowed when Sai took the man's stiff penis in his hand. He rubbed the underside with his thumb until a small, pearlescent drop formed at the tip. Her lips parted when he leaned in, licked the drop, and then paused for a moment as though savoring the taste.

Sai plunged forward, taking nearly the entire length of the man's cock in his mouth. He slowly pulled back and then plunged forward again. He continued, setting a steady pace while the man looked down at him and sucked in air.

The edges of Sakura's mouth curled when she remembered Sai's words about always being the _seme_. _Who's the seme now, boy?_

Her smug grin faded when she realized that Sai was touching the man but the man wasn't touching him back. She knew from taijutsu that the person who maintains contact is the one who controls the fight. Sai was maintaining control; the man was surrendering it.

_Bastard._

Sai stopped for a moment and stuck the first two fingers of his right hand into his mouth. When they were wet, he pulled them out and started sucking the man's cock again. Slowly, he reached around the man's hips and ran his fingers along the divide between the cheeks of his ass.

She knew where his fingers were going to go. When the man sucked in his breath, she half-closed her eyes and imagined what it would feel like to do that to a man. _To a young man. Pity that it's only the old guys who get their protates checked._

_Hey, Doc. My squad leader said I need a "complete' physical. What does that mean?_

_It means you pull down your pants and get up on the exam table, soldier. Kneel. Bend forward. Knees apart. Yeah, like that. Now this is going to feel a liitle...weird._

_Nobody ever touched me there before, Doc. Are you sure that-_

_Routine procedure, boy. Got to make sure that you're healthy, inside and out._

_Sorry, Doc, but I'm getting a little, uh..._

_Erections are normal during this procedure. Just relax. Let me do the driving. And while you're here, I also need to take a sperm sample._

_A-A _what _sample?_

_Relax, soldier. That's an order. You're in the care of a trained professional. Just relax and let me do my job._

She noticed that Sai was going faster. The man's mouth hung open. _He's going to come. I can tell. He's almost ready to-_

The man closed his eyes. He grabbed Sai's head and pulled it in. Sai, completely unalarmed, closed his eyes as well.

_He's coming. Down Sai's throat. God. What it must feel like to-_

It struck. Like a tidal wave. She bent forward, convulsing, her hand trapped between her clenching thighs. Wave after wave of intense pleasure coursed through her. At first, when she was powerless, it throbbed through her body. Then, as she regained control and was able to lift her head, it felt as if she was dancing naked in a mid-summer downpour, the cool prickles of rain washing away the heat and the drought and the frustration of an endless heat wave.

She felt like someone who had just been saved from drowning. Her lungs gasped for breath. Her hair and her clothes were drenched in sweat. Every cell of her body seemed to cry out for joy. And she was smiling. A real, un-faked, honest-to-goodness smile.

When she heard Sai and the man clapping, she looked over at them. With her remaining strength, she performed an obscene gesture. "Shut up, you assholes."

Sai grinned. "Damn, Sakura. The mother of all releases. Do all women orgasm like that?"

She wanted to scowl at them but she couldn't help but to grin back. "How the hell should I know?"

He shot a glance at his partner. "Want another try at that?"

Her eyebrows raised. "Again? Wasn't once enough?"

"If you say so." Sai rubbed the bulge in his crotch. The man turned around and leaned forward, resting his hands on the obscene pink vanity. "But Daddy needs to come. You can just sit there and watch, if you want. In any case, nobody's going to be watching _you_."

Sai reached into another drawer of the vanity and pulled out a tube of lubricant. The man smiled.

As she watched Sai occupy himself with his task, her hand snaked under the jacket.

_Oh boy. Can't believe I'm..._


	6. Group Therapy

**Group Therapy**

* * *

For Sakura, the next few days seemed to fly by. As Team Yamato picked weeds in the Konoha Cemetery, she hummed a pleasant tune. When she came across a daisy, she plucked it and stuck it in her hair.

Naruto squinted at her. "You okay? You almost seem like you're...happy."

She flashed him a warm smile. "Of course I'm happy. When have you ever seen me unhappy?"

Naruto grinned. "Last week when I peed in front of you. Or the week before when I knocked you into that mud pit. Or the week before that when I got hungry and I accidentally ate your lunch. Or-"

She put her hands on her hips. "Hold on. _You _ate my lunch? You said a bear stole my bento. Tore up my pack and everything."

Naruto's lip quivered. "I...kind of did that. You see, I thought you had some soy sauce in your pack and I couldn't get the snaps to unsnap and so I used a kunai to try and pry it open but the blade kept slipping and-"

She waved her hand. "Forget about it, Naruto. It's just water under the bridge. Ancient history." She looked up at the brilliant blue sky and gave a long, dreamy sigh. "Today's a brand new day."

Later, when they took a break for lunch, Sakura watched Sai slink off to one of the stone benches. She followed him.

He smiled when he saw her preparing to sit next to him. "Enjoying yourself today?"

She flashed a grin back at him. "Later, perhaps."

She opened her black-lacquered bento to reveal an arrangement of succulent tempura shrimp, tender slices of broiled salmon, yummy pickled vegetables, and tasty soba noodles. Sai had a faded blue plastic container with half a serving of plain white rice.

She tilted her box toward him. "My mother made extra. She cried when I told her what you usually bring."

He glanced at the bento and then grabbed a few grains of rice from his own container with his chopsticks. "No. I'm fine. I don't really need much."

She selected a shrimp with her chopsticks and dangled it in front of his face. "It's goooood."

He tried to look annoyed but his belly groaned, betraying him. He sighed. "Alright." He seized the shrimp with his chopsticks.

She scowled. "I _was _going to feed it to you. After all, you do nice things for me. And besides, you shouldn't pass things between chopsticks. Everybody will think you're at a funeral, picking bones from the ashes."

She watched him stare at his shrimp as though it contained some deep mystery of the universe. "No," he said. "Wouldn't want that. Especially not here." After he put the shrimp in his mouth, he looked out at the gravestones as he slowly chewed it.

She picked a slice of salmon. "I've got more, you know. Plenty." She glanced at Naruto squatting in front of the eternal flame that represented the Will of Fire. He was heating water for his instant noodles. "So who's our special guest this Friday?"

He was silent for a moment. "A bad one. Probably my worst. I'm really going to need your help with this one." He stared at the flame and tapped his chopsticks against the rim of his container. "He's got a unique pathology. I'm kind of running out of options. The thing is, when he was young, he..."

The tapping stopped. He turned to her and smiled. "It's too nice a day to talk shop, don't you think?" He upended his container and shoveled the remaining rice into his mouth. When he finished swallowing, he stood up.

He reached down and selected another shrimp. "Tell your mother they were delicious. And since you've done nice things for me, I'll do something nice for you, too. Meet me at the bridge tonight. Midnight. Wear something dark. And no perfume." He sniffed. "That flowery concoction you're wearing is just going to cause trouble."

"Trouble?"

He reached down and plucked the daisy from her hair. He sniffed it. "Don't worry. No blood this time." He smiled. "Probably."

* * *

At midnight, Sakura stepped onto the bridge. Unlike Friday evenings, where all of humanity seemed to be striving to get from one side to the other, the bridge was now completely deserted.

As Sai instructed, she had worn a dark grey T-shirt and dark pants. The midnight blue pants were from her combat uniform and the shirt was one that her father had outgrown. She sniffed her wrist. She had used her father's bar soap for tonight's bath and while the harsh odor of that remained, the scents of lavender and lilac were gone.

She jumped when she heard footsteps treading in the darkness. She felt the bridge vibrate beneath her feet. A dark figure stepped into the cone of light from the street lamp. The boots and jeans and jacket were Sai's, but the face was hidden in the shadow of a leather motorcycle cap. Despite her combat training, the faceless intruder made her insides quiver. When the figure stepped closer, she was relieved to see it was Sai.

He looked her up and down. "The clothes are alright." He sniffed. He wrankled his nose. "Still smell a bit girly, though." Before Sakura could object, he stripped off his leather jacket and draped it over her shoulders.

It was warm, just as it had been last Friday. The heat helped her calm her nerves. She maneuvered her arms into the sleeves. "How do I look?"

"Absolutely dangerous." He sniffed her again. "Smell better too."

She lifted one of the lapels and sniffed the space between her body and his jacket. She smiled. Like the candied cherry, their scents, and that of the leather, combined to make something complex and delicious and a bit intoxicating.

"Dressed like that," he said, "you could almost pass for a boy. Trouble is, pink clashes with that outfit."

"Pink? Oh! My hair. What do I-"

He whipped off his cap and thrust it at her.

She tried it on. It was a bit too large, but if she didn't attempt any gymnastics, it would probably stay on. All that remained was to tuck her hair under it.

She tilted her head. "You wouldn't happen to have any hair pins on you."

He grinned and pointed at the jacket. "Thought you might need some. Inside pocket. Right side."

She was pleased to discover an assortment of hair pins, barrettes, and rubber bands at the bottom of the pocket. She pulled out one of the barrettes. It was small and brightly colored, like those for little girls.

She handed him the cap. She held the barrette between her teeth and then reached back to grab her hair. "Funny you should have these," she said as best she could with clenched teeth. "Being an all-boy operation."

His smile faded. He looked down at the Nakano River and watched the moon's reflection in the dark water. "It's a funny world."

She locked the barrette and reached for another. "So what are we doing tonight? Kidnapping? Armed robbery?"

He kept watching the water. "Group therapy. When I asked for your help, it was for the problem cases. The others aren't nearly that bad yet. With them, it's more efficient if I split them up into groups. That way, I can do a whole group in one shot."

After she locked the second barrette, she stepped over to him and took back the cap. "What do you want me to do?"

"Nothing. Just watch. I'll do all the singing and dancing. You just sit back and enjoy the show."

She donned the cap and looked up at him. "Good?"

He reached over and straightened it. "Yes. Good. Let's go."

She was surprised when he led her to the base of the bridge on the southern side. He climbed down and entered the dark space below the metal supports. She swallowed and followed him into the blackness.

Three steps in, she froze. In the darkness, she could sense a half-dozen people surrounding her. She couldn't see them but their scents were definitely male. The quivering of her insides returned.

She heard Sai's voice whispering in her ear. "Stay here. Relax. Enjoy yourself. But not too much."

She listened to the receding sound of his footsteps on the concrete. Fifteen meters away, the sound stopped. She heard rough whispers. She couldn't make out what Sai was saying but she could definitely sense the venom in his voice.

Then came a slap, followed by an utterance that almost sounded like the word 'faggot.'

Then she heard the sound of a zipper. Then silence again.

After a minute, she could hear someone sobbing. Then more footsteps.

She couldn't see clearly, but she was beginning to make out rough shapes, spots where the blackness wasn't so black. One of those shapes moved toward her.

"You the new guy?" the shape whispered. The voice was deep and masculine. "I heard somebody's helping out Sai. You him?"

She relaxed her vocal cords and spoke from her diaphragm. "Yeah." She winced. _Terrible. Too high. No way he'll believe that's a guy's voice._

"Can you do me?"

Her eyes opened wide. _Do him? Can I _do_ him? Like he's walked into a salon and plopped his ass down in the first empty chair, expecting me to give him a fucking haircut? Shit. _"No."

"Come on, man. I need it. Can't wait."

She felt his hand on her arm. Without the slightest bit of hesitation, her arm came up and knocked his hand away. She glared at him. _You do _not _touch me, asshole. I've been through a lot of shit in my life. I have been punched and kicked and stabbed and blown up. I've even had a fucking puppet run me through with a poisoned sword. So I will _not _put up with somebody grabbing my arm like I'm some helpless little girl._

"First off," she hissed, "I am _not_ a man. Let me make that crystal clear. I'm your goddamned superior officer, and you will stand at attention and await my orders."

Inside her, the quivering stopped. It was replaced by something else, something hot and wicked and terrible. Something that made her feel powerful. Invincible.

"Second," she whispered, "you do not touch me. I'm the one in charge and you will respect that." She leaned in. "Is that why you came down here? To touch me? To touch a man's body?"

With her left hand, she reached over and grabbed his buttocks. They were hard, little more then skin and bones and taut muscle. "That's what you want, isn't it?" She ran her hand along the crack of his ass. "To feel a man. Feel him touching you." She dug between his cheeks with her middle finger. She felt his back arch and she heard him suck in air through his teeth. "To feel him as he fucks you."

She laid her right hand on his hip. "I know that's why you came here." She moved her right hand around to his front. When her fingers met the top button of his pants, she swallowed. With her sweaty palm, she followed his fly down to his crotch.

Despite all of the male patients she had seen undressed, despite the hundreds of times she had told men to turn their heads and cough, this is the first time she has ever felt a man's erection. She wraps her fingers around it. It feels impossibly huge. "Makes you hard. Doesn't it? When a man touches you." She jammed her middle finger between his cheeks again. "When he fucks you."

She started to stoke him, lightly at first. Then the palm of her hand pressed in as it moved, too rough and brutal to be pleasurable.

He got harder.

She let her whispers grow a touch louder. "You like that, don't you?" She grabbed his erection and squeezed. "Faggot."

On hearing that word, his body stiffened. His cock pulsed.

She moved her hand to the top of his fly. She found the zipper and teased it down. Her ears were filled with the roar of her heartbeat.

The first thing she felt were his coarse curls tickling her fingers. She dug in further. Her heart threatened to burst when she grabbed his hot flesh.

She pulled it out. She laid his cock across her palm like a kunai.

She was overwhelmed. The heat of his hard cock. The firmness of his clenching ass. His breath, even faster than hers. His scent, strong from his open fly, mixing with aromas of leather and of men and of the river. The sound of the water, lapping against the supports.

And the danger. That someone might see them. Shine a flashlight on them. Expose them.

_I'm going to explode. Any moment now_.

She stroked him. Her grip was hard, almost brutal. "You like this. Don't you? A man's hand. On your cock. Makes you hard. Wanting to come. Like a faggot. So hard. I can feel it. Getting you close. Close to-"

She felt his body shudder. She tried not to gasp when she felt him ejaculate. His rhythms seemed to travel through her, like electricity, to places deep inside her.

Then she heard him utter a sob. She felt something drip on her hand. _His...tears?_

Suddendly, something grabbed her jacket, pulling it backwards. Too shocked to resist, she was dragged out of the blackness.

When she was set free, she struggled to regain her balance. She turned. It was Sai.

He put his face in hers. In a harsh whisper, he said, "I thought I made everything perfectly clear. I work, you watch."

Fear and shame gripped her belly. "I-I'm sorry. I wanted to... I mean, I was just trying to-"

"Enough." He jabbed his thumb upwards. "Go. Now."

She scrambled her way back up to the deck. Once there, she meandered to the streetlamp. She stared blankly at the river, too hurt even to cry.

After a minute, she felt the bridge vibrate. Someone else was on the deck, moving toward her from the southern side. She grabbed her belly, trying to quell the maelstrom inside it. When she saw that the intruder was Sai, it made her discomfort even worse.

"For what it's worth," he said in a clear voice, "you were pretty good down there. A natural. I always knew you'd be. And if I haven't upset you too much, I'd still like you to come next Friday." He held his palms out. "Please?"

She stepped backwards, putting her face outside the cone of light from the streetlamp. It took a while for her to reply. "I'll think about it. Okay?"

He nodded. "Okay."

When he disappeared into the darkness, she turned and ran.

* * *

She had nearly reached her front door when she realized that she was still wearing Sai's jacket and cap. Her shoulders slumped as she reached for her doorknob.

She expected her father to be on the other side of the door, waiting with his arms crossed, tapping his foot to count the seconds. Instead she found a note taped to the mirror in the front hall. She squinted to read it in the darkness. "Went out for drinks. Back later. Hoped you enjoyed yourself."

She stared at the note, trying to decipher its true meaning. _Enjoyed myself? Are they trying to be sarcastic? Is this some sort of trick?_

She leaned her head back and cried out. "Mom? Dad? Are you home?" She heard no reply.

She turned back to the mirror. She jumped when she saw a dark figure, dressed in leather, its face masked by her parent's note. A moment later, she laughed out loud. The dark figure was her own reflection.

Her laughter helped to relieve the worry that was churning inside her. As it faded, she became aware of another feeling in the pit of her stomach, something nervous and insistent. Something shameless.

"Mom?" Her gaze flitted about, searching the darkness for signs that she was not alone. "Dad?" The nervous feeling intensified. It spread, sinking below her belt. "Anybody home?"

All she could hear was the pounding of her heart.

She dashed up the stairs and threw herself into the black abyss of her room. She dove onto her bed. In the dark, her fingers fumbled with the laces of her boots. Once her feet were free, she stood up and grabbed her belt.

She froze. She listened for several seconds, searching the sounds of the empty house. The only illumination was from the streetlights outside, which formed weird patterns of dark and not-so-dark on her walls.

When she was satisfied that she was alone, she pushed down her pants, not bothering to unfasten the belt buckle. She rejected the idea of pulling down her underwear. She was risking enough already.

She stepped in front of her standing mirror. She stared into it, gazing at the dark, faceless silhouette before her, the one in the leather jacket and cap. She moved forward, canting her body so that the back of her left arm was against the glass. Her right hand grabbed the round wooden support column on the side.

"Isn't that why you came here?" she said to the figure with a rough whisper. "To touch a man's body?" She pressed in, adjusting her hips until the middle finger of her left hand touched her smooth cleft, which had already grown damp. "To feel him touching your body?" She pressed in a bit more until her finger was firmly against her flesh.

"To feel what it's like when he fucks you?" She kept her left hand still while she thrust her hips forward. The rush of pleasure made her suck in her breath. Her eyes half-closed. "Isn't that right?" She thrust forward again. "Faggot?"

She continued to thrust her hips. With each breath, her nose drew in the aromas of leather and hot men, highlighted by the scent of her own desire. Her hips quivered as that desire built towards its climax.

Her right hand started to stroke the wooden column. "It's making you hard, isn't it? When I fuck you?" She stroked it harder. "You want me to make you come, don't you?"

She closed her eyes. The pleasure was too intense. "Sorry, faggot. Right now, Daddy needs to come. He's so close. He's almost there. Another second and Daddy's gonna-"

She heard the front door swing open, followed by her father's voice. "Daddy's home! Where's my little cherry blossom?"

She shrieked and fell to the floor.

"Yep!" said her father. "Like always. Hiding upstairs again."

Her eyes opened wide when she heard uneven footsteps on the stairs. She crawled along the dark floor, feeling for her pants.

"I can hear you, you know," said her father. "Just coming up to say good night."

She found her pants, but by the time her father reached the top of the stairs, she had barely managed to unfasten the belt. _Great. In about two seconds, my father's going to come through that door and see his daughter dressed like a gay leatherboy. In wet panties._

She leapt up and dove for the door. Immediately after she locked it, she heard the handle jiggle.

"You okay?" asked her father.

"Fine. Just fine, Dad. Just...peachy."

"Why'd you lock your door, then, Sakura-chan? You, uh...got somebody in there?"

She scowled. "Daddy! Of _course _I don't! What kind of a person do you think I am?"

After a long pause, she heard him reply. "A good one. Excuse your Daddy. He's had a bit too much to drink. I know you wouldn't do anything to bring shame on our family's name." She heard him shuffle down the hallway to her parent's room. "Night, Sakura-chan."

After her mother joined him, Sakura stood up, hung Sai's jacket over the back of her desk chair, and silently laid the cap on the desk. She crept into bed. She looked up at the ceiling and periodically wiped the tears from her eyes.

Her body begged her for release. _So close. I was so close. But I will never be that stupid again. Not for anything. Or anyone._


	7. The Last Straw

**The Last Straw**

* * *

That Friday, Sakura came early to the bridge. Sai's jacket was draped over her arm. His hat was wedged between the jacket and her belly, nearly hidden from view.

She picked her way through the crowd. Sure enough, she saw Sai's head sticking up near the streetlight.

He smiled when she joined him. "Thank you for coming. I really-"

She held up her hand. "It's the last time, Sai. I won't be doing this anymore."

His smile faded. "I understand. Can't talk you out of it, huh?"

"No. Don't even try." She offered him the jacket and cap. "I'm sorry for running off with them."

"No problem. You can keep them if you like. You looked great the other night."

She offered them again. "No. I don't want them. Take them. I did promise you that I'd come tonight, so here I am. After this, it's over."

He took the cap and jacket. "It's not over for them, you know. The members of Root."

She looked down at the river. "That's your problem. Not mine. Not any more."

They walked along the deserted riverfornt, as they had done many times before. For a few minutes, neither said a word.

"Why?" said Sakura. "Why does something like Root exist in the first place?"

"That's...a tricky question to answer. But since you're technically part of the Hokage's staff, I have the authority to tell you a few things about us."

He cleared his throat. "A long time ago, all the ninja clans operated the way we do. The way Root does. They performed special training that desensitized their children to violence and bloodshed. It made them better killers, but at the cost of their humanity. The Will of Fire changed that. It created a powerful belief system that allowed shinobi to be effective fighters while retaining their emotions. Now, nearly all of the hidden villages use the same approach."

"So again, why Root? Nostalga for the good old days?"

Sai smiled. "Not quite. There are still missions that are so emotionally traumatizing that a normal human cannot be expected to perform them. That's why we exist."

"Like what? What kind of things have they made you do?"

"Can't tell you."

She scowled. "Why not? After all we've been through and you still don't trust me?"

He stopped. "No. I physically cannot tell you. Look." He opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue.

Sakura scowled. She was almost ready to slap him for making such a rude gesture. Then she looked closer. His tongue has black lines across it.

Her eyebrows raised. "Is that a...tattoo?"

He closed his mouth. "It's a seal. Like the cursed mark of the Hyuuga Clan. If any of us try to divulge our secrets, then the mark activates and prevents me from speaking. Like I said, what happens in Root, stays in Root."

* * *

Tonight's victim was a little older than the others, maybe twenty or so. When the black bag was removed she could see that he had a cute, round face, like a little boy. He didn't look as muscular as the others, or as rugged. _He doesn't seem tough at all. I bet I could make him cry by saying 'Boo' loud enough._

Sai gestured at Sakura. "I've brought a guest tonight. A female guest. Like I promised."

He glanced at her. "It won't make a difference. I'm at my limit. You think that-"

Sai slapped him. Hard. The blow made the man stumble a few steps.

Sai reached over and grabbed the man by his dark, curly hair. He pulled the man in. "No talking. I'm the one in charge here. If I had wanted you to speak, I would have-"

The man pointed at his head. "Can't hear you, Sir. Little deaf in this ear. Could you repeat that?"

Sai released his grip on the man' hair and then smashed his fist into the man's face. "How about now?"

The blow made the man take a step backwards. He lowered his head. Blood trickled from his nose. "Still nothing, Sir. Better try again."

Sai shot a snap kick into the man's crotch.

The man doubled over. He groaned. "N-Nothing. Still nothing." He slowly straightened himself up. "I can feel the pain. But I can't feel the _hurt_. Please. I need you to hurt me."

When Sai stepped in front of him, the man dropped to his knees. He pawed at Sai's zipper. "Do it. Make me suck you. Lick you. Put it in me. Make me beg for it. Like a faggot. A dirty faggot."

Sai stepped back. "That game won't work anymore. We need a new game. A better game." He crossed his arms. "We're going to play _that _game."

Sakura watched an odd expression come over the man's face. His face scrunched up as though he was dreading the idea, yet his eyes looked up at Sai with the same sort of pleading she had seen her first night here.

Sai glanced over his shoulder at her. "Sakura?" His voice sounded odd. A moment ago, it was clear and commanding. Now it sounded shaky and uncertain.

She sat up. "Yes?"

"Scoot forward for me, please."

She didn't move. "Why?"

"Just do it. It's important."

"Why?"

"Just...do it. Trust me on this one."

She turned her head away. "And then what? Lean back? Skirt up? Panties down? Spread my legs so that he can stare at my-"

"It's not like that! Just do it, Sakura. He needs this. Please don't make me explain it to you."

She leaned forward and rested her hands on her knees. "No. Tell me why first."

"Because..." Sai took a breath. "Because most of us don't know who our parents were. Some of us do. He does. His, uh..."

"His...what?"

"Look, I don't need you to expose yourself. I just...need you to help me role-play with him. Relive some events from his past."

"Like what? Exactly?"

"It's...his mother." He took another breath. "She used to...abuse him. Sexually. And-"

Sakura shot up from her chair and walked straight to the exit. Sai threw himself in front of the door to block her.

With wild, glassy eyes, she scanned the room to find another way out. When she saw the door to the other office, she bolted through it.

The other room was crowded with objects: racks of costumes, training weapons, torture devices, bondage gear, the pink vanity from two weeks ago, the large camera she saw the first night. When she realized that the exit was hidden behind the camera, she grabbed the camera and sent it flying into the wall.

The door was secured with a steel bar. She had no trouble tearing the bar off.

Before she could grab the door knob, Sai blocked the way with his arm. "Stop. We need this. He needs this."

Her fingers gripped the steel bar so tightly that it began to bend in her palm. "Not falling for it again. Outta my way."

He squeezed his body between her and the door. "Please stay. Please."

She gritted her teeth. She held the bar over her head. "Move, Sai. Let me out of here." Her brow furrowed. "This whole thing is sickness. Just pure sickness."

He looked into her furious green eyes. "Please. He's at his limit. If I can't trigger his catharsis soon, he's going to-"

"Enough! I've heard enough about this catharsis shit. You're not going to sucker me again. This is _your _problem, Sai. Yours. I'm done with it."

"Please. Help us."

"One reason, Sai. Give me one goddamned good reason."

He looked over her shoulder, as though afraid to meet her gaze. "It was... My brother. The one from the book. He was the one." His eyes opened wider. "We were down by the river and he just started...crying. Didn't even know he was doing it. An hour later, he's on the ground. Can't breathe. His brain just...forgot how to make his lungs work. And...I'm pumping his chest for him and...and there's nobody else around, and you can only keep that up for so many hours, and...and I..."

He looked into her eyes. "I can't do that. I can't go through that again. And I know it's going to happen. To all of us. But I don't care. I'll do anything. To buy one more week. One more moment. Anything."

Slowly, she lowered the bar. Her brow began to unfurrow. "Sai..."

He looked down at the floor. "I'm sorry. I know that I've asked too much of you. I admit that. But I need your help. I can't do this without you."

"No."

"I need something. I need-" He raised his head and looked at her. "Your underwear."

"My _what_?"

"Leave me your panties. I might be able to use it as a trigger. You know, your...scent."

She grabbed his arm and threw him across the room into a rack of costumes. "Goodbye, Sai. Good luck with your...whatever this is."

She stared at the doorknob, at the tiny reflection of herself in the shiny surface. She huffed. "Would that work? The panty thing?"

Sai pulled himself from the pile of scattered fabric. "It's possible. Better than nothing."

She looked up at the top of the doorway and took a breath. "Then go. I need to think about this. And I won't guarantee a damned thing." She cut her eyes at him. "Go!"

Sai went back to the room. He closed the door behind him.

The man was waiting for him. "Are you okay? You look kind of sad."

Sai plastered a smile on his face. "That's impossible. You know that." When he said that, his voice shook.

"Did you have any luck?"

"Possibly. I don't know yet."

The man faked his own smile and wiped the blood from his nose. "You did your best. Can't blame you for that." He looked up at ceiling. "Do you believe in Heaven?"

"Belief is an emotional construct, designed to fill the empirical gaps in our value systems," said Sai. "And, let's face it, emotion was never my best subject."

"I used to, when I was little. Before Root. I believed that if I died, then I would leave this world behind and go to be with my father in Heaven." The man sighed. "You know, this might not be such a bad thing."

"Don't talk like that."

"To finally be free. Free of this life. Free of Danzo's-"

The man dropped to the ground. His body was convulsing.

Sai dropped to to the man's side. Even through the man's clenched teeth, Sai could see the curse mark glowing. "I told you not to talk like that! Relax. Breathe. Breathe! Close your eyes. Remember your training. Focus on my voice. Focus. Breathe. That's it. That's it."

The man's body stopped convulsing. After a minute, he was able to sit up and breathe normally.

The man wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Better now. Lucky that wasn't a bad one."

Sai stood up. "I suppose I should check on her. She probably went back home to her-"

Behind him, he heard the door open. He turned. It was Sakura. Her white panties dangled from her hand.

A smile was the appropriate reaction in this situation. He put one on and walked over to her. "Thank you. You don't know how much this means to-"

She passed him. Her eyes were stony and cruel. She stepped over to the chair and stood in front of it. When she saw that she had the man's attention, she sat down.

Despite her merciless expression, her body was shaking. She stared into the man's eyes.

She moved forward until her hips were over the edge of the chair. She separated her legs. Her skirt rode up.

She waited until the man's gaze dropped to the space between her legs. "Mommy needs you," she said. "Come here and do as you're told."

The man was frozen for a moment. Then tears cascaded from his eyes. He sank to his knees, fell to the floor, and then started sobbing.

Sai looked over at Sakura. Tears were streaming from her eyes as well. She lowered herself to the floor, crawled over to the man, and draped her body over his. She started sobbing as well, just as loudly as the man.

Sai left. He could simulate emotional reactions, but real comfort needed real empathy and he had none to offer them. All he could do was stand outside the warehouse and watch the river flow past him.

He wondered if this "Heaven" belief carried any weight. On the surface, it seemed like a good idea. In reality, even if it was true, it could offer him no comfort. _Someone like me wouldn't be allowed in Heaven anyway. Not with the things I've done._

Thirty minutes later, the man emerged, wearing the characteristic dark clothes and grey body armor of the ANBU. He glanced at Sai, strapped on his mask, and disappeared into the night.

Sakura followed. Her expression was impassive. "I locked up for you. Sorry about the door. And the camera."

Sai took a step toward her. "Thank you. That was really-"

"What's next week?"

He paused for a moment. "Uhm, next week, I've got a man with a fear of drowning. I'll use that as the trigger."

She looked out at the river. "Doing it out here? Or inside?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Haven't planned that far ahead yet. I think maybe I'll-"

"Then plan it out." She put on the leather jacket and then placed the cap on her head. "If we're going to be a team, then we need to work out a game plan and practice it. Like professionals."

Sai's eyes opened wider. He had little difficulty putting on a smile. "Yes, ma'am. Would you like me to walk you home?"

"No." She turned toward the bridge. "Not tonight."


	8. Danzo

**Danzo**

* * *

A few days later, Sakura awoke when she heard something tapping on her bedroom window. She thought it was a squirrel, but when she stood up to investigate, she saw Sai's face on the other side of the glass.

She held her robe closed with one hand while she opened the window with the other. "What, Sai? This better be good. If my parents see you, they'll-"

"Sasuke's killed Orochimaru."

Sakura froze. Images flashed in her mind. A small, dark-haired boy, sitting by himself. A new genin, handsome and strong, throwing his body in front of hers. A brave shinobi, fighting the monster Orochimaru while she watched, too afraid to help. A demon, possessed by Orochimaru's cursed seal, who grinned with bloodlust while he snapped the arms of her attacker. A dark monster who sold his body and soul to Orochimaru in exchange for power. His cold, cruel, merciless red eyes.

She shook her head to clear her mind. "We've got to tell the Hokage. She needs to-"

"She already knows. Root has located his position. I've been assigned to guide the interception team. But before we go, Danzo needs to see you."

She scowled. "Can't it wait?"

"No. He said it's a matter of village security. I've been ordered to escort you there."

"Security?"

"It won't take more than a few minutes. Hurry and get dressed. I'll wait for you." He leapt from the window to the street below.

She lowered her blinds and threw off her robe. Her stomach churned as she fumbled though her dresser drawers.

_One way or the other. The nightmare ends today._

* * *

She ran, following Sai's dark silhouette across the Nakano River Bridge. To avoid the crowds, she jumped up and sprinted along the safety railing. At the end, she leapt off and then chased Sai's figure through the maze of docks and shops.

At night, the riverfront was an abandoned ghost town; in the early morning sun, it was overflowing with people. Sakura swerved and ducked and careened her way through the onslaught of tradesmen and shoppers, all of whom were oblivious to the jittery panic that screamed in her gut.

She saw a dark shape flash upward to the high, gabled roof of an coffinmaker's workshop. When she realized that it was Sai, she leapt up join him.

"I hate morning traffic," he said. "Let's take the expressway."

They jumped from rooftop to rooftop, heading east along the riverfront. When she spotted the quite-familiar warehouse, she huffed. Indeed, it did look just as grim and unfriendly in the daylight.

When Sai landed on the roof of the warehouse and stopped, she came to rest next to him. She looked around. "Where now?"

He pointed to an unremarkable building a hundred meters to the south. It was a featureless cube with a square opening in the middle of the roof. "There. ANBU Headquarters."

She shaded her eyes with her hand and squinted at it. Though Konoha was relatively small, she had never known where the ANBU HQ was located, and she never heard anybody speak about it.

Sai lead her to it. As they appoached, she was struck by how incredibly uninteresting the place was. She began to realize that it was taking an enormous amount of her concentration to stay focused on it. She had to fight the urge to turn away and look at more interesting things.

"Is this a genjustu?" she said. "One that forces your attention away?"

He flashed her a sly smile.

Suddenly, a door appeared before her. A moment ago, there had been nothing there but a blank wall.

Sai stepped in front and opened the door. Then her pulled her inside.

On the other side, she saw a man with an animal mask over his face hold up his hand. Her eyes widened when she realized that he was the last Friday's 'victim.'

He looked her up and down. "Okay. She's clear," he said in a flat voice. "Escort her down. Danzo's waiting for her in his office."

Sai led her to the center of the building. A round hole, twenty meters wide and lined with rough-hewn stone blocks, went down into the ground. Sunlight streamed in from above, through the square opening she had seen earlier. Stairs connected different levels below and walkways connected rooms on the same level. With the sun still low, the bottom was shrouded in shadows.

Sai gestured to the first set of stairs. "Danzo's office is six levels down. Let's go."

* * *

Sakura watched Sai prepare to knock on the door. Before he could, a rough, deep voice inside said, "Enter. Send her in."

When the door opened, she saw a simple office. Apart from a desk, a rolling TV cart, and a few brownish-red stains on the walls, the room was bare. Sitting behind the desk was Danzo, a man she had seen in passing at the Hokage's Hall. He was hard to miss. His right arm and the right side of his lined face were covered in bandages. Beneath the grey roots of his dyed-black hair, his remaining eye always seemed to measure the world with a ruthless gaze.

After the door closed, that gaze focused on Sai. "Leave her with me," he said. "Go to Room 113. Prepare yourself. I will deal with you shortly."

Sakura watched Sai leave. Then she turned to Danzo, who was rising from his seat. "So it's true? That Sasuke killed Orochimaru? Then we need to-"

His eyebrow raised. "We?" He tilted his head back. "Before 'we' are able to go anywhere, we need to discuss an urgent security problem that's just come to light."

He stepped around the desk and pointed to a VCR sitting on rolling cart beneath the large television monitor. "Do you know how to work that device?"

She crossed her arms. "I don't understand."

He sighed. "It's very simple. Press the button marked 'Play' and-"

She dropped her arms and stamped her foot. "What I don't understand is why we're standing here, wasting time. Sasuke's out there. He may be hurt, or being hunted down by Orochimaru's men, or-"

Danzo held up his left hand. "There's no need to worry about him. The traitor is in good health. Root has pinpointed his location and we will take possession of him shortly. Before that, however..." He nodded at the VCR.

She made sure the monitor was turned on, and then she pressed Play on the VCR. The machine hummed and whirred.

White letters appeared against a black background. "The evidence presented in this videotape contains classified material. Unauthorized attempts to view or distribute this material will result in immediate termination."

Sakura's eyes narrowed. "Termination? Of what?" She felt a nervous twinge in her gut. "What's on this tape?"

The words on the screen changed to "Exhibit A. Training Area 6. Camera 37." After a long pause, the words were replaced by the image of a small, bare room. The only objects in view was a large camera on a metal stand, a few training mats on the floor and, in the center of the screen, a simple wooden chair.

Sakura's eyes opened wide.

On the screen, she saw Sai come into view, wearing his denim pants and his leather jacket. My leather jacket, she reminded herself. When Sai's image beckoned her image to the chair, the nervous twinge in her belly grew worse.

"H-he told me the camera was off. That it wasn't even hooked up. He said that-"

"He doesn't control my camera network," said Danzo. "I do. Do you deny that you are this girl?"

She watched herself sit on the wooden chair. "Yes. I mean, no. No, I don't deny it. How can I? That's obviously-"

"Do you deny that you've participated in these exercises?"

She watched Sai lead a naked man into the room. The man wore a black bag over his head. Her image stared at the bag and then at the man's chest. Then she watched her image avert its eyes. Slowly, the gaze of her on-screen self found its way back to the man's feet. Then it inched upwards.

She looked down and watched the seconds tick by on the front panel to the VCR. She could feel her face start to blush. She took a breath. "I watched. That's all I did. He asked me to watch. Him and another man. He said it would-"

"You did more than watch, young lady."

She saw him press Fast Forward on the VCR. The humming of the machine increased in pitch. A few seconds later, she saw his finger press Play again.

She heard his voice again. It was stonier this time. Angrier. "You were a willing participant. See?" She jerked her head up when he waved his hand in front of her face.

"Watch the screen," he said. "That's what you do for them, isn't it? Watch?"

She looked up to see her image stand and approach the two men. The image appraised them for a moment and then its eyes widened. The mouth seemed to form the word 'Yes.'

Danzo pressed Fast Forward again. The naked man dropped to his knees and sucked Sai's cock. In fast forward, his motions were jerky and ridiculous.

She looked away again. "Look, I'm sorry you're upset about this. I was just watching them. Like he told me to. I didn't mean to... I mean, I'm not the type of girl who-"

"But you are. You most definitely _are _the type. The proof is right in front of your face."

She heard him press a button on the VCR. The hum of the machine lowered in pitch.

"Look at yourself," he said. "At how you are behaving. Look. And tell me that you found no pleasure in this."

She glanced at the screen. The scene was different. Another man, also naked, stood in front of a hideous pink vanity. Sai was standing behind her, talking in her ear. Her image scooted forward in its chair.

Her insides churned. Her eyes opened wide as her gaze darted about, searching for an exit. There was none, other than the door she came through. She glanced back at the screen. Sai spread his jacket across her lap. The hand of her on-screen self began to creep under it.

Her own hand shot out, reaching for the knobs of the monitor. He blocked it with his bandaged right hand. His arm felt like it was encased in steel. She cried out, more from terror than from the pain. The focus of her eyes then shot to the door.

"No. Don't even think about. The Hokage herself couldn't break through that door. Not until I release the seals. And don't be ashamed to scream or cry, if you feel the need for that. Stronger shinobi than you have done so many times before."

She turned about, searching for ways to escape, like a rat trapped in a tiny cage. "I don't know... What are you... I-I don't-"

He grabbed her hair, close to the scalp on the back of her head. He forced her head around until she was face-to-face with her image on the screen. She watched the unrestrained lust on her face as the back of the jacket arched and bowed with the same rhythm as her arm.

"Tell me, young lady. Look at this and tell me that you were just watching. That you felt no pleasure as you watched them. One faggot sodomizing another." He thrust her head forward until her nose was pressing against the glass. "Tell me!"

"I... I was..."

"You were what? Just watching? Then watch yourself. Doing disgusting things. Dirty things. In front of others." He threw her to the floor. "You are sick. Truly sick."

She laid there for a long time. Her limp body was completely numb. "It's-It's not like that. He told me... He told me to-"

"Liar." He hit a button a and the pitch of the humming increased. "Don't pretend that you were some innocent bystander. A puppet under Sai's control. Again, the proof of that is..." He another button and the whirring of the VCR slowed. "...right before your eyes. As plain as day."

She looked up. The screen was black. Her eyes narrowed as white letters appeared. "Exhibit K. Nakano River Bridge. Night Vision Camera 14."

The next scene was all in tones of green. She recognized it as the space beneath the base of the Nakano River Bridge. Several men were scattered about. One man, who looked like Sai, was rubbing the crotch of another man. Shortly after, the other man convulsed and fell to the concrete below his feet. Then, on the other side of the foundation, a tall, muscular man approached a smaller man in a leather jacket.

Sakura's eyes widened when she realized that the small man was herself. She watched her image grab that taller man's rear with one hand. The other hand slid around to the front of his belt and then moved down. Sakura's heartrate doubled when she saw her image's hand unzip the man's pants and reach into his fly.

She leapt up and smashed the VCR with her fist. The crumpled remains sparked and made a few sick wheezes before it fell silent.

Danzo had made no move to stop her. "If we didn't have other copies of that tape, I would add 'destruction of evidence' to the charges against you." He reached over, switched off the monitor, and then stared down his nose at her, like a someone observing the twitchings of a dying cockroach.

After a moment, he spoke again, his voice as cold and unforgiving as a gravestone. "He didn't tell you to initiate that man's catharsis. In fact, he ordered you not to do that." He crossed his arms. "Has this been a common situation with you, Haruno-san? Ignoring orders when they didn't suit your fancy?"

Her hands shook. "I didn't mean to... I..." She then stood as straight as she could manage. "I didn't d-do anything wrong. I didn't break any laws. I-"

He grabbed her lapel and pulled her face into his. "In case you were not informed, Root is supposed to be a _secret _unit. Our purpose is to operate from the shadows and performing the dirtiest of missions, so that people like you can stroll around in the sunlight, oblivious to the dangers that threaten this village every day. What happens in Root must stay in Root."

He released her and watched her stumble backwards. "Regardless of his intent, the agent you know as Sai exposed our psychological secrets. Secrets that an enemy can exploit to neutralize my agents and penetrate this village's defenses. The fact that you were such a _willing _pupil only makes things worse."

"But I wouldn't-"

"Yes, Haruno-san." He stepped toward her and leaned forward. "You would. And you will. The moment you meet your beloved Sasuke. He will use his genjutsu to turn your feelings against you and force you to divulge your secrets." He leaned back. "That is, if he _needs _to force you."

Her brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"Didn't you offer to follow him? Three years ago? On the night you failed to stop him?"

Tears began to flow from her eyes. "It wasn't like that. I tried to-"

His face turned red with rage. "The simple fact that you are still alive shows me the weakness of your resolve." He took another step toward her. His face towered above hers. "You're not going. End of discussion."

She put her hands on her belly, hoping that it would calm the raging storm inside. Her knees felt as if they were about to buckle.

Danzo turned away from her. "When we return, you will be formally prosecuted. At that time, you will surrender your weapons and your shinobi headband." He turned his head slightly toward her. "I understand you are close to the Hokage. She may let you continue to live. In solitary confinement, of course."

She stared into the floor. Her jaw shook. "W-W-W-Will y-you..." She closed her eyes and forced herself to stop shaking. In a small voice, she said, "Will you tell my parents?"

Danzo inhaled and then exhaled slowly. "As the remaining members of your clan and, thus, the de facto leaders of that clan, we must afford them the opportunity to review the evidence against you. Heavily redacted, of course. All they will see is you. The things you did." He reached into his robe and pulled out a photograph. He held it up so she could see.

It was her. She was on the wooden chair. She was leaning back. Her skirt had ridden up and her crotch was totally exposed. At the right side of the frame, she saw Sai and a naked man gawking at the space between her legs.

She looked away and shut her eyes tightly. She let out a single sob and struggled to keep more from following it.

"Your father's career will terminated. Immediately. He will be forced to turn in his headband. Since they were not directly involved, your parents will not be punished beyond that. Of course, they will not be allowed to leave the village or-"

She wailed. She couldn't help it. Tears poured from the corners of her eyes. It took her a minute to summon enough control to speak. "Anything." She wiped her runny nose with the back of her hand. "I'll do anything. Take my own life. Go to jail. Anything. Just leave them out of this. Please." She glanced at the photo. "Don't show them what I..." She turned her head away.

"It's too late for that. Once I turn this over to the Hokage, the Code of Shinobi Conduct will be put into play. This sequence of events cannot be avoided." He huffed. "Of course, if there was a way I could guarantee your silence, then things might be different. However, with the weakness of your resolve, you wouldn't last three seconds before you..."

When he said nothing further, she turned to face him. He was staring at the wall with a faraway look in his eyes. After a minute, he cast his gaze down to the floor. "No. You would never accept that. It would be too much for you to bear."

Her eyes opened a little wider. "What? What wouldn't I accept?"

"Forget it. It would be impossible for someone like you."

"Tell me. I already said that I would do anything." She raised her dripping chin. "Perhaps I'm not as weak as you think."

He stared at her for several seconds. His head was slightly turned, as though his dark eye was appraising her.

He cleared his throat. "There is..." His gaze drooped. He swallowed. "Here in Root, we employ a method which ensures that our agents are able to keep their secrets, even when subjected to the most invasive interrogation techniques. They are given a mark, one which-"

"Like the one Sai has on his tongue. He showed it to me."

Danzo's nostrils flared. "Sai has shown you far too much of our organization. After I'm done with your case, I will deal with him." He thought for a moment before speaking again. "As he might have explained, the mark would prevent you from speaking about the inner workings of Root or about any of our missions. It wouldn't affect any other aspect of your duties." He gave her a very slight smile. "In fact, it would be the perfect solution. With the mark in place we wouldn't need to worry about-"

She stood up straight. "I'll do it."

He scowled. "Perhaps you had better think this over. The marking process is quite painful and-"

"Do I get to come with you? To get Sasuke?"

He thought for a moment. "Yes. I suppose I could allow that. Just as long as you follow my directions and don't-"

"My parents. You'll leave them alone. Right?" She picked up the photograph and glanced at the image of herself. She grimaced and held it up. "And they never hear about this. It all just goes away. Right?"

Danzo stepped over to her. He took the photo from her hand and hid it within the folds of his robe. "As I said. What happens in Root will stay in Root. That is sacrosanct."

He put his left hand against the bandaged end of his right arm. "Open your mouth. Stick your tongue out. Open wider. Wider. That's it."

She watched his left hand form a number of seals, some of which she had never seen before. She could sense a mass of dark chakra gathering in his palm.

His hands separated. He looked at her. "This will hurt. Very badly. Do you still wish to proceed?"

She said nothing, content to let her stony expression transmit her resolve.

"Very well," he said. He raised his left hand and held his fingers in front of her open mouth. "Let us begin."


	9. What Happens in Root

**What Happens in Root...**

* * *

If she could have compared it to anything, it would have been lightning.

When she was little, she sought shelter under a tree when a summer thunderstorm swept over the playground. Bad mistake. She still had nightmares about that lightning strike that followed.

It wasn't just the suddenness of the strike, or the crack and boom of the thunder, or the terror of watching the trunk shatter into a million burning toothpicks. What scared her to her bones was the flash itself. The intense electrical charge it carried. How it made her skin prickle and her hair stand on end. The way its terrifying brilliance burned her eyes. For a minute after, all she could see were purplish-blue streaks across her retinas.

She was no stranger to pain. She had survived Tsunade's insane med-ninja "training" program. And Sasori of the Red Sand, who ran her through her with his poisoned sword. And even Naruto, when the _thing _inside him emerged and her flesh was charred by its foul red chakra. Despite all that, her mind still could not conceive of a fate more painful than being struck by a bolt from the blue.

But that was before Danzo's fingers touched her tongue.

The shockwave shot through her jaw and her neck, paralyzing them. If it hadn't, she might have bitten through his filthy hand. The searing pain charged down her spine to her legs, locking them in place. It streaked down her arms and surged through her insides. Her head was ablaze with white-hot agony. For a moment, she was transfixed as she felt herself drown in a sea of electric torment.

Then it all went black.

When she awoke, she found herself lying on the floor. The pain was gone but her body jittered with a thousand tiny aftershocks.

She heard Danzo's voice. "Five minutes, fifteen seconds." She looked over at him. He was holding a stopwatch. "The quickest recovery I've ever seen. Perhaps I've underestimated you. Of course, you're starting out a lot older than most of my recruits."

She sat up and rubbed her face. Her tongue felt like it had been smeared with charcoal starter and set on fire. "I'm not one of your recruits. After we get Sasuke, I don't want to even hear the word 'Root' again."

He offered his hand to help her up. She didn't take it.

Danzo formed a few handsigns and then opened the door of his office. "Before we go, I need to discipline Sai. Come with me."

She brushed herself off. "Can't this wait?"

He didn't reply. He led her down another three levels to a room with a thick steel door. He entered a code into an electronic lock and the door slid open.

The spartan room had concrete walls and floors. It was even more inhospitable than the warehouse. The only furniture inside the dungeon was a simple wooden chair.

Danzo grabbed the back of the chair and dragged it toward her. The feet grated hideously against the rough floor. "Have a seat. I'll bring him out." He went to another metal door on the side wall.

She saw that the chair was the same kind as in the warehouse. Her eyes narrowed as she examined it. _It looks exactly the same. Even the grain of the wood. But that's not-_

She frowned. "What's going on here?"

Danzo opened the door. "Nothing you haven't seen before. Sit. Wait."

She sat down and watched him disappear into the darkness. _Fine. Whatever. Sooner we start, sooner we finish._

She stared down at the floor. Most of the quivering of her body had stopped, but the jitters in her belly remained. They grew stronger as the images of Sasuke invaded her thoughts again.

She looked up when she heard Danzo's heavy footsteps enter the room. She was about to ask him about Sai when she saw that Danzo was holding onto a rope. Her words stuck in her throat.

She sat up straight when she saw that the other end of the rope was around the neck of a naked man with a black bag over his head. Her eyes scanned his body. He was leaner than the others had been. A bit paler. And the way he walked. _Faggoty_. When she looked down at his penis, she knew for sure.

She rose. The sick feeling that crawled in her stomach erupted with a pain that made her grimace. "What the hell are you doing? You said you were just going to-"

Danzo cut his eyes over to her. "Sit!" As he said that, he flicked one of his fingers at her. Her knees gave out and she felt her butt fall into the seat of the chair. Her throat felt tight. She tried to speak but she couldn't quite seem to make her mouth work.

Danzo parked Sai three meters in front of her. "That's what you do for them, isn't it? Sit? Watch? Intensify their shame?"

She couldn't reply.

Danzo yanked the rope from Sai's neck. Then he whipped the bag from Sai's head.

Sakura grabbed her belly. Despite all she had seen over the past weeks, Sai's nakedness struck her as sickeningly cruel. "W-Why d-do-"

Danzo cleared his throat. "I am not in the habit of explaining myself to my subordinates. Especially when the situation is so obvious. The agent you know as Sai has reached his limit. If he is to be of any further use to me, then I need to initiate his catharsis immediately."

He peeked over his shoulder at her as he looped the rope over his bandaged arm to coil it. "As you might imagine, his situation is a bit like your own. The medical ninja is responsible for taking care of the squad; who, then, takes care of the med-nin? Since he cannot simply dodge his way out of trouble, it falls upon me to perform this task for him."

He set the coiled rope on the ground. He turned slightly toward her. "I was tempted to let you do this. Like him, you seem to have a talent for this sort of work. But, as you might imagine, his case is special." He drew his hand back. "In his advanced condition, he needs a..." He slapped Sai, knocking him to the floor. "...a skilled hand."

When she started to rise, Danzo flicked his finger again. "Sit!"

She found herself falling back into the chair.

He turned to Sai again. "Kneel before me." His voice was a rough growl. "Faggot!"

Sai crawled over to Danzo and knelt before him. His back was toward Sakura.

"Where she can see you, cocksucker. Or don't you want her to look at this?" An evil smile curled on Danzo's lips. "Because you know we're going to have to play _that _game, don't you? Nothing less will do any more. And I'm going to make her watch the whole thing."

Sai trembled. His eyes pleaded to Danzo even as his body obeyed Danzo's commands.

Danzo glanced at Sakura. "He may not have told you this, but Sai wasn't the only person who was charged with relieving the emotional stress of my soldiers. The first, of course, was myself, but I passed that duty on to one of my subordinates."

"My brother," said Sai. That earned him another slap.

Danzo glared at him as he recovered. "One of the rules of this game, boy, is that you keep your smart mouth shut. Or are you trying to get me to fill it with something? You'd enjoy that, wouldn't you? Faggot." He turned slightly toward Sakura again. "The agent he's referring to was known to many as Shin. They weren't related. I allowed them to maintain that charade because I thought it would keep them close. That way, when the time came for Shin to kill Sai, the shock of that would harden his emotional core, perhaps making him invulnerable to further stressors."

Danzo sighed. "Before that could happen, Shin's residual stress got the better of him. I heard that his death was particularly gruesome. Which was a pity, since he had become quite skilled at this task." He looked down at the naked man who knelt at his feet. "But not as skilled as this one. When Sai told me about Shin, I offered him the opportunity to end his own life, saving himself from the shame of living as an incurable homosexual. Instead, he volunteered to take Shin's place."

Danzo smiled. "And what a marvel he's been at it. He's an expert at finding the subject's psychological weaknesses and exploiting them. Better yet, he's been great at nudging them along, applying just enough pressure to do the job. Because of him, many of my best agents can expect to live _years _longer." The smile evaporated. "However, all good things must come to an end, sooner or later."

He took a step back and watched Sai's face, as if monitoring his reactions. "In the beginning, this used to be enough. I'd have him strip naked. Tell him what he was. Listen to him confess his shameful thoughts. Every filthy little detail. And when that wasn't enough, we resorted to stronger stimuli."

She watched him reach into his pocket and pull out a small metal box. "This was your mother's, wasn't it?" She saw Sai's eyes shoot to it, tracking the box as Danzo walked a circle around him. "Most of the Root Division are the orphaned sons of Konoha's heroes. But you're different, aren't you?"

He bent over and put his mouth next to the Sai's right ear. His voice had a hateful undertone.

"My records show that you're actually the son of a whore. A filthy, cock-sucking whore. Like her son. Officially, you have no father. And isn't that why you're a faggot? Because he could be any one of them, couldn't he? Any man who pitied her enough to fuck her rotting cunt and toss her a few ryo. That's why you desire them. Isn't it?"

Sakura squirmed in her seat. His words were making sick feelings rise in her belly. "That won't work," she said to him. "He's told that lie too many times."

Danzo glared at her for a moment. Then his expression softened. He tossed her the box.

The look in Sai's eyes went from fearful concern to stark terror.

Sakura opened the delicate clasp with her fingernail. Inside was a small photograph of a dark-haired woman. She smiled for the camera. There was a prettiness to her face, but it was marred by the hard sadness in her eyes, something that all the makeup in the world couldn't hide.

"She was in the Hidden Leaf Village when the Nine-Tailed Fox attacked. Apparently, her pimp had slashed her face, and she had just enough money to buy her revenge. We found Sai in the rubble, next to her body." As he began to turn to Sai, he stopped and then turned back to Sakura again. "But don't worry. Despite our losses, we carried out the mission anyway. We shinobi of the Root Division are men of our word."

He looked down at Sai. "And when that didn't do the trick anymore, we tried all kinds of things. Then I discovered his trigger. The worst possible thing in the world. The thing that sends him over the edge. At least it used to." He cut his eyes over to her. "Can you guess what that is?"

She stared at the floor while she searched her memory. "I-I don't know. I don't think that I've ever-"

"Think harder. What is the thing he hates the most?" He waited a moment. When she said nothing, he huffed. "Come on, willing pupil. This should be easy for someone like you."

"He, uhhh..." _Ah. The dessert shop. _She smiled. "I know. He hates messy things."

Danzo scowled. "My grand-mama hates messy things. What messy thing _in particular _sets him off?"

_Sets him off? I don't think Sai lets _anything_ get under his skin. Unless he means that time when Sai got really pissed off. We were with Captain Yamato by the river. And Naruto stood over him at the riverbank and-_

Her eyes opened wide.

Danzo grinned. "I think she's figured it out." He stepped up to Sai and reached into his robe. "Open your mouth."

Sakura started to rise. "You can't do that. That's sick. Just pure sickne-"

He flicked his finger again. Hard. She collapsed into the chair again. Her legs were useless.

Then she noticed that she wasn't breathing. Her lungs were straining but her throat was closed off. She pawed at her neck, unable to keep herself from panicking.

His face turned red. "Let me explain this to you. I will not tolerate someone telling me what I can and cannot do. Especially when it's someone like you. A filthy, shameless fag hag. A woman so masculinized by Princess Tsunade's topsy-turvy values that she no longer has an interest in normal men. Instead, she lusts for the company of homosexuals. Isn't that a valid description for someone like you?"

She couldn't reply. All she could do was grab her neck and pray that this would end before she passed out.

"Would you like me to release you? Then apologize for speaking out of turn."

She glared at him. The edges of her vision were starting to turn black.

"Don't pretend that you're playing the hero. Because you're not one. And if you think you can get out this by dying on me, then I'll show your parents everything." He pulled out the photograph of her exposing herself. "Now apologize. Nicely."

Her fading vision locked onto the photograph. Then, in her mind, she saw her parents. Their disappointed faces tore a hole in her gut.

She tried to say, "I'm sorry." Nothing came out.

He put his hand to his ear. "I can't hear you. What was that?"

The room was spinning around her. She mouthed, "I'm sorry."

He smiled. "Very well. Apology accepted." He relaxed his hand.

Her throat opened. She sucked in air.

"It's wonderful, isn't it? That first breath? After you've confessed to the error of your ways?" He sighed. "Don't make that mistake again. If I have to give you two fingers, then the mark on your tongue starts to burn. It's the same thing that happens if you try to attack me or you betray our secrets. Three fingers, and you will feel the same agony as when received the mark. So far, nobody's survived four fingers."

He moved closer to Sai. "Now, faggot. Open your mouth." Danzo reached in and pulled out his penis.

She couldn't bear to watch. She turned her head and shut her eyes tightly. When she heard the tinkle of water, she covered her ears to block the sound.

After a minute, she slowly removed her hands. The room was quiet. She opened her eyes.

Sai was still kneeling before Danzo. His face was pointed upwards and his mouth was still open. This frozen image - the cruel, smirking, sadistic grin on Danzo's face, and the passive, barely-concealed terror in Sai's eyes, like a dog being beaten by its beloved master - struck her as being more obscene than anything else she could have witnessed.

Then she saw Danzo glance at her. He looked down at Sai again. Sai's body shook. Danzo's smirk became even more cruel.

"Swallow."

She buried her face in her hands. _Oh God. Oh God. Oh my God. Oh God._

When she could stand to open her eyes, she expected to see Sai on the floor, sobbing. He wasn't. He still knelt on the rough concrete floor. His face had a sour, pained expression, but he hadn't shed a tear.

Danzo sighed again. "That was it. My bag of tricks is now empty. This is the end of the line for you, Sai. Get dressed and prepare yourself to guide Tsunade's team. Hopefully, you'll last long enough to be of some use."

She watched Sai rise. His motions were stiff and jerky, like a marionette dangling from strings.

"That's it?" she said. "Isn't there anything else we can do for him?"

Danzo gave her a smirking grin. "Perhaps." He turned to Sai. "There's only one shameful thing left, isn't there?"

Sai's eyes grew wide. "No. That's off the table. You promised."

"But nothing's off the table. Isn't that what you said to her?"

Sai's lip trembled. He looked as though he was about to burst into tears.

"Let me ask you a question, girl. Who do you think made all of this possible?"

She sat up. "I don't understand."

He moaned with annoyance. "It should be obvious by now. Who's responsible for you being here today? Who was the architect who carefully drafted the plans? Who performed the detailed research? Who uncovered every single one of your not-so-hidden secrets?" He pulled out the photograph of her exposing herself and tossed it into Sai's lap. "Even down to your favorite dessert?"

She stared at him with wild eyes. Then her gaze shot to Sai.

Sai stood up. He couldn't face her. "I-I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

She staggered over to him. "Y-You...planned this? You tricked me? But I trusted you. How can you-"

"I told you before, Sakura. I would do anything to save them. Anything. Even this."

Her eyes open wider. "What do you mean?"

"It means that when we return from taking possession of Sasuke," said Danzo, "you will take over Sai's duties. Without catharsis, he won't last more than a few more days. Perhaps less." He grinned. "But don't worry. I'll allow you stay on as the Hokage's assistant. After all, I'm sure you overhear all kinds of information when you're in her office."

She stood before Sai and stared into his face. Tears fell from her angry eyes. "God damn you."

A single tiny tear formed in the corner of his eye. It didn't fall. "I'm sorry."

"Bullshit!" She pulled back her fist and summoned her chakra into it. It shook as she held it there. She fought against the pain of her burning tongue as she tried to force her paralyzed limbs to obey her orders. Eventually she released her chakra. Her arms fell to her sides.

She wiped the tears from her face. "I wish I could hurt you, Sai. As much as you hurt me."

In a small voice, he said, "Yeah. I wish you could, too."

Danzo gestured at the steel door. "Let's go. Your loverboy awaits."

As he entered the electronic code, he said, "Lead them northwest, Sai. Into the forest. The Uchiha is headed for the Land of Waves. We'll go northeast and intercept our target in the Torayama Mountains."

She watched the door open. "Hold on. You're going to lead them _away _from Sasuke?"

As they went through the doorway, Danzo looked back at Sai and said, "Stay close to the Nine Tails. Make sure he doesn't cause us any troubles."

Sakura grabbed her belly. "I can't let this happen. I got to warn-"

"Try that and you'll be dead before you take your second step. Just remember, as long as I'm alive, the seal cannot be broken. And the best part? You are bound to protect my life. With yours, if necessary."

He chuckled. "Welcome to Root, Sakura-chan."

* * *

Sai watched the door close. He was alone.

He went to the side room and quickly dressed. When he came back, he carefully picked up the small metal box, opened it to ensure the photograph wasn't damaged, and then placed it into the pocket of his vest. "Soon, Mother. I will see you very soon."

His body was numb. He felt nothing inside but a strange and heavy sadness, just beyond his reach.

Tsunade's group was waiting for him by the gate. Danzo's group, which would leave shortly afterwards, waited in the nearby shadows.

He saw Sakura's pink hair. He put a smile on his face. _She's perfect, Mother. I couldn't have asked for a better replacement. She will take good care of my brothers._

"Come on," said Naruto. "What are we farting around for? Let's go already."

"Yes, my friend," said Sai. "Let's go."

He led them northwest, into the trackless forest. As ordered, he stayed close to Naruto, who pulled out ahead of the rest of the group.

After an hour, they reached a wide clearing. Naruto signaled Sai to stop. He took a swig from his canteen. "Where the hell is he, Sai? I thought we'd see him by now."

Sai put a smile on his face. "Patience. Another hour or two."

Naruto stared at Sai's face and scowled. "What the hell's up with you? Why are you crying?"

Sai's eyes widened as he dabbed his face with his fingers. They were wet. He felt tears dripping from his chin.

_Mother. Shin. It's starting._


	10. The End

**The End**

* * *

Naruto cocked his head to the side as he watched the tears run down Sai's face. "You okay?"

Sai gave him one of his strange smiles. "No. I'm not okay. I've never been okay." He pulled out his drawing book. "I don't have time to explain it to you, but I'm having a change of heart about this mission." He let out a strange chuckle. "Laugh, Naruto. That's a joke. I don't actually have a heart."

Naruto watched Sai draw in the book. Though he couldn't make out the picture, he could see that Sai's drawing style was a bit off. Sai always handled his brush the same way that Sasuke handled his kunai. Solid stance. Flowing motions. Confident. Always hitting the mark. This time, his brushstrokes were choppy and hesitant.

As Sai drew, he said, "You know what I like about you, Naruto?"

Naruto glanced down at Sai's exposed midriff. He cocked his head a little more. "You aren't going to tell me something fruity, are you?"

Sai gave him an even odder smile. "No." He pulled out a square of white paper and began to draw on that as well. "The truth is, we're quite similar, you and I. Your mother died on the same day as mine, and you know next to nothing about her. No one knows who your father is. Could be anybody. And we both were raised by people that were...well, not always so charitable." He stopped drawing. "What I admire is that despite everything you've been through, you still believe in them. Your faith in humanity is very strong. That's your gift. In my case, however..."

Naruto kicked a stone and watched it roll across the clearing. "You about ready? I don't want Sasuke to-"

"He's not out there. He never was. He's..." Sai winced, as though the words were painful to say. "He's somewhere else."

Naruto's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean, Naruto, is that I've been tricking you." He stared at his scribblings on the paper square. "That's what I do. That's my gift. My sole value in this world. I manipulate the people around me to get what I need. I make them do bad things. Terrible things. Things they would be too ashamed to do otherwise. And now it's payback time. With interest."

Sai took the square and flung it into woods. "I'm sorry, my friend, but I need to trick you one last time. I hope you don't hate me as much as Sakura does. Though I know you will anyway." He formed a series of handsigns. A giant hawk sprang from the pages of his book, and he jumped on its back. "I wrote down everything you need to know." He pointed into the woods, in the direction that the paper square went. "Read that, and your path will be crystal clear."

Naruto's mouth hung open as he watched Sai fly off on his hawk. Sai used the heel of his boot to spur it even faster.

He shook his head. "God damn you, Sai. Now I've got to hang out here until the other guys catch up. I hope you drew me a decent map, at least."

It took him a couple of minutes to find the square. When he picked it up, he saw that he had actually written on the back of a photograph. In a shaky hand, the words read, "Danzo made me do this."

He turned it over to look at the picture on the front. It was Sakura. She was sitting on a wooden chair. Her hips were forward and her skirt was bunched around her waist. In front of her, a naked man was gawking at her bare crotch, taking in every detail of her anatomy. Next to them stood Sai. He was staring at her too.

He looked at the back of the photo and then the front again, trying to figure out the punchline of the joke.

His heart raced. His breaths came in short pants. Inside him, something began to move.

And then the world became as red as blood.

* * *

Sakura groaned as Danzo's team left the woods and sprinted up the treeless faces of the Torayama foothills. For an old man who needed a cane, Danzo seemed to be very light on his feet. It was taking everything she had to keep up with him and his two bodyguards.

Several minutes later, they stopped on the bald western face of Torayama itself. She stepped forward and peeked around a boulder to watch the great expanse of forest to their north.

Danzo tapped his cane on the sheet of dark grey limestone beneath his feet. "Come back over here, girl. Don't reveal our position until the time is right."

She returned to her new master's side. Her face was screwed up with anxiety.

He huffed. "Thinking about your little boyfriend? If you're planning on warning him, don't think that I won't-"

"He's not my boyfriend," she said. "He wasn't back then, and he's definitely not now."

His brow furrowed. "Then why all of this? Why did you insist on coming here to see him?"

She was silent for a long moment. "Sometimes, I catch my mother staring out of the window. When she was little, her family had a dog. A big one. They kept him locked up in the back yard. One day, he got out. She came out of the front door and there he was, with a kitten in his teeth. He shook it and tore it apart. When she tried to get it away from him, he snapped at her. Scared her to death. He ran off into the woods and never came back."

She let out a jittery sigh and looked down at her feet. "Even now, she's still waiting for that dog. Part of her wants to grab it and hold it and teach it to be good again. And part of her would like nothing better than to know it died out there and will never come back. I mean, it's been years and years. Of course it's dead. It's got to be. And even if it did come back, who's to say that you could train it. Make it good dog. The thing that kills her is that she can never really know."

She stepped forward and peeked around the boulder again, just enough to see the carpet of treetops to their north. "And that's why I needed to come. Because I don't want to spend the rest of my life looking out of windows."

She turned to face him. "Have you ever felt that way about someone?"

He dug his pinky into his ear. "No."

Under her breath she said, "Didn't think so."

She sat on a slab of limestone. When she straightened the hem of her skirt, she realized that she was wearing the same one she always wore to the warehouse. That made her belly even more upset. "You're going to kill him, aren't you? That's why you didn't want the others to come here."

"For the safety of our village, the criminal Sasuke must die. I won't belabor the details, but suffice it to say that his continued existence threatens us all. Sooner or later, someone will get his eyes. It is our duty to take possession of them before...well, before certain hostile forces do. If Princess Tsunade was here, or worse, the Nine Tails, it would make my job a bit more difficult."

She glared at him. "Naruto. His name is Naruto."

"When I buy a bottle of wine, Sakura-chan, I am only concerned with the wine itself, not the bottle it comes in. Do they always permit you to talk this much before an ambush?"

"Sorry."

They were silent for a while. Then Danzo looked over at her. "I will let you keep them. Your emotions. Unless you would like me to take them away."

She put her hand on her belly and stared out at the forest below them. "Take them away? All the things I'm feeling right now?" Her eyes became wide and glassy. "You'll make it all just go away? And never come back?"

Her hand balled into a fist. "No. Because it doesn't just vanish, does it? It all stays locked up inside you. Only the pain goes away. The hurt remains."

"Quite correct. And since we've discovered that girls reach their emotional limits more quickly than boys, you would only be of limited use to me."

She scowled. "Discovered? How? There are no girls in Root." Then she remembered the barrettes that were in the pocket of Sai's jacket. _The tiny ones, decorated with stars and hearts, like the ones for little-_

Her eyes opened wide.

Danzo leaned on his cane. "In the beginning, we had as many girls as boys. Preferred it that way, actually. A kunoichi can gather information in ways that a man cannot. But they all reached their limits so quickly. When I watched the last one go, I knew it was time for someone else to initiate catharsis in the boys that remained. And now that job has passed to you, Sakura-chan."

Her face turned red. In her mind she could picture the scene. _A little girl. Kneeling before Danzo. Hair in pigtails. Eyes glassy, like doll's eyes. Her naked body still pudgy with babyfat. He slaps her. Says things. Dirty things. He stands above her. Gives her that fucking smirk. Pulls out his cock. Tells her to open her mouth. Then he grabs her by her pigtails and-_

Then she realized that she was on her feet, almost a meter from him. Her fist was cocked, loaded with enough chakra to level a mountain. Her body was frozen, locked in mid-strike. The only thing on her that moved were the tears that ran down her face. And the wisps of smoke rising from the cursed mark, which burned so brightly that her tongue was starting to char.

Danzo glanced at her and then turned his back. "That will get you nowhere, Sakura-chan. No force on earth can defeat my jutsu." He looked down and began to grind the tip of his cane against the dark rock. "I hope that Sai has taught you well. I hate to lose agents. Especially the young ones."

He looked up and huffed. "Life has never chosen to be subtle with me, and I have never been subtle with it. Sacrifices had to be made. Lots of them. To secure our future."

She forced herself to relax. Slowly, her limbs began to soften and droop. "Our future? Or yours?"

He cocked his head back and smiled. "Ours, of course. After all, my future will the future of this village. When I become the Hokage, that is. That's another reason for keeping your emotions intact. Princess Tsunade won't suspect you're my agent until it's too late."

One of his bodyguards stepped forward. His eyes scanned the sky, as though he was expecting something to emerge from the clouds above. He closed his eyes tightly and tilted his head to the side. A moment later, his eyes popped open. "It's coming."

Danzo turned his head slightly. "Sasuke?"

Sakura was surprised to see fear in the bodyguard's eyes. He stepped backwards. "No. _It_ is coming. The demon. The nine-tailed fox."

Suddenly, the mountaintop above them exploded. Shards of flaming limestone rained down on them.

As Sukura straightened up, she saw something fly around the mountain. It was Sai, riding a giant hawk. He turned and dove toward them. Immediately after, the side of the cliff shattered, barely meters from where he had flown.

Without meaning to, she stepped in front of Danzo's body, as though shielding him from the threat. _So that's what he meant. The curse mark not only keeps me from killing him but forces me to protect his ass, too. Shit._

"Arm," said Danzo. He stuck his bandaged right arm out. "Uncover it. Now."

The two bodyguards wasted no time in ripping off the bandages. Underneath, his arm was covered by a thick metal sheath. The guards scrambled to unfastened the bolts that held it together.

Sai headed straight for them. When he got close enough, he leapt from the bird. As his feet hit the ground, he rolled to absorb to impact. Then he sprang to his feet. He drew his kunai and stood at Sakura's side. Tears ran down his face, "Don't worry, Lord Danzo. I will protect you from this foul beast."

When Danzo flicked three of his fingers, Sai hit the ground and convulsed. Smoke rose from the flaming red curse mark in Sai's mouth. "Think you're pretty clever, huh? Figured out how to cheat my jutsu? Well, it doesn't matter. I've already won this battle. Nothing you do can change that."

Sakura looked up at the cliff and saw the one thing in the world she never wanted to see again. It was Naruto, wrapped in the cloak of the demon fox. His barely-human eyes watched them, sizing them up the same way a hungry lion sizes up a herd of antelope. Behind him, three tendrils of blood-red energy swung behind him, like perverse tails.

Behind her, she could hear chunks of Danzo's metal arm sheath clang against the rock. Then she heard Danzo let out a cackling laugh. "Won't come near me, Nine Tails? Too afraid you'll hurt your little girlfriend? Well, I've got a remedy for that. Hmmm. Let's see. What did Sai say your trigger was? Ah, yes. I remember now."

Sakura felt something slam against the side of her head. She flipped over and crashed to the ground. She felt blood ooze from the point of impact. Then she heard Danzo say, "All you have to do is hurt Sakura and it will come charging straight in."

She looked up at the cliff face. Anything that could still be considered human left Naruto's face. A fourth tail erupted from the cloak. And then a fifth.

"Run away," she said. "If he goes beyond three tails, he can't control himself. He'll kill anybody he sees."

"Then see me, demon," said Danzo. "Attack. Let's get this over with."

The _thing _roared and then flew toward them. She covered her face with her hands and waited for the inevitable.

But the inevitable never happened. After a few seconds of silence, she looked up to see the beast standing in front of Danzo. Danzo's right arm was raised to it, as though this was enough to stop the demon's rage.

Then she saw Naruto's crystal necklace begin to float upwards. It gave out a greenish glow, which slowly enveloped Naruto's body. One by one, the tails disappeared. After a minute, the demon's cloak had vanished. Danzo dropped his arm. Naruto's body fell to the ground. His skin was blood red and his breathing was shaky and shallow.

Sakura turned to Danzo to ask him what happened. Then she saw that his right arm was covered with strange spots. When she saw that the spots were actually eyes implanted into his flesh, she gasped. She looked closer. All of the eyes were red. Like Sasuke's Sharingan eyes.

Her body shook with rage. "That's what all this is about? Getting a new pair of eyes for your...whatever-that-is?"

Danzo stood over Naruto's body. He prodded him with his foot. "To secure our future, I need the power of both the Senjuu and the Uchiha. I started by incorporating the cells of the First Hokage into my arm. Then I added the eyes. As a side benefit, the First Hokage's chakra allows me to completely control the Nine Tails. There was never any real danger."

She started to hyperventilate. "Did you...get the eyes from...Sasuke's clan? Did you...order Itachi to..."

"I think I've answered enough questions for one day, Sakura-chan. Let's wrap this up. We have someone we need to meet, right?" He turned to his bodyguards. "Hold the jinchuuriki up. I need to work on his head for a minute."

She watched them pick up Naruto's limp body. He was barely conscious. "What are you...doing to him?"

He shot her an angry glance. Then he turned to Naruto. He flashed a twisted smile, one that was more disturbing than anything Sai had ever given her.

"It comes out when you get angry, doesn't it? The demon?"

Naruto lifted his head and gave Danzo a groggy stare. "F-Fuck you."

"I would suppose the only way to prevent that from happening is to prevent you from getting angry in the first place. Wouldn't you agree, Sakura-chan."

"No," she said in a weak voice. "Don't do that."

He started weaving a complex set of handsigns. "This will only take a minute or two. Rather complex jutsu. Don't want to burn out the _entire _brain, do we?"

Naruto looked over at Sakura. "T-Take this guy out."

She looked over at Sai. He was still conscious but he couldn't move. "I can't. I can't break the-" She couldn't finish her sentence. The curse mark prevented it.

"Do it. Take him out."

"I can't." She began to cry again. "He was right. I'm not the hero...of this story. I failed. Again. Everything that happened...was my fault...my choice. It's all over. I'm... I'm sorry."

Naruto looked into her eyes. "Bullshit. That's bullshit, Sakura. What happened to your words? The ones you said? Remember? 'No self-respecting woman would allow a man to treat her like that.' Isn't that your nindo? Your ninja way?"

"Naruto, I..." She looked down at the dark sheet of rock below her feet. "I'm not a...self-respecting woman. Not after...the things I've done."

"Remember who you are, Sakura. Who you really are."

She raised her head and looked into his eyes. Despite all that had happened, and all that was about to happen, his eyes were still as bright and blue as the summer sky.

Then she heard Sai's voice. "He's right. Remember who you are. Remember the things they cannot take away from you." He wheezed. "And, especially, remember your trigger. What's the worst thing? The one thing in this world that's guaranteed to set you off?

Danzo groaned. His hands stopped moving. He held them up and looked at his bodyguards. "It's ready. Bring him here. Lower his head so that I can-"

He turned. For the briefest moment, he stood transfixed, too shocked to move. He could do nothing but stare at the girl beside him. Her face, and especially her eyes, were spilling over with fury, like the Goddess of War incarnate. Her fist contained so much chakra that it gave off a bluish-white glow. And, most disturbing of all, he watched flames erupt from her open mouth, like the firey maw of Hell itself.

"You hurt someone I swore to protect," she said. "Die!"

His head flew, leaving a trail of bloody spatters. It smashed against the cliff, nearly a hundred meters from where his body fell.

The two bodyguards dropped Naruto and stood between Sakura and Danzo's corpse. One looked at his watch and counted off the seconds.

She probed her agonized tongue with her finger. She couldn't taste anything. All she could feel was the pressure of her finger against it.

She looked over at Sai. His mouth was nearly as blackened as hers. Tears were still streaming from his eyes but he didn't sob. She realized that his time had come. Very soon, he would die. Just like his so-called brother.

The guard with the watch said, "57, 58, 59, 60." Both guards looked down at Danzo's corpse, and then at each other. "He's dead." Their faces erupted in smiles. "Finally. He's really dead."

Sakura's eyes opened wide. _The curse mark. I can't feel it. It's gone_.

Then her eyes narrowed. _Finally. It's payback time_.

She grabbed Sai by his lapels and hauled him to his feet. He was barely able to stand.

She slapped him. "Bastard." Slap. "Asshole!" Slap. "_Faggot!_"

She grabbed his lapels again and shook him. "You betrayed me. You betrayed Naruto! You made him turn into the thing he hates the most." Slap. "You cocksucker!" Slap. "You're a little cocksucking whore, just like your mother was. And I _hate _you."

"I'm sorry, Sakura. I-"

"Shut up! You have to feel sorrow to be sorry. And we both know you can't." She pulled him toward her, putting her face in his. "Well, I know something you _can _feel. Something you hate more than anything else in this world." She threw him to the ground. "Stay there. Open your mouth."

He trembled. "No. Not from you." He scooted backwards. "Just kill me."

She reached under her skirt and yanked down her underwear. "You don't deserve death. Not yet. I'm going to do what I should have done a long time ago. Now lay there. Open your mouth. Close your eyes. And keep them closed."

When she saw that his eyes were closed, she went over to Naruto. He started to speak but she put her finger to her lips. "Keep quiet, Naruto. No matter what you see, you must stay silent. Understand?"

When he nodded, she reached down and grabbed his canteen. "Not a single word. Okay?"

She carefully unscrewed the top as she walked over to Sai. She stood above him, one foot on either side of his shoulders. She held the canteen over his head. "Here we go."

She tipped the canteen for a moment, aiming the shot of water at his eyes. "Missed. It's hard to aim this thing."

She smiled. _That'll keep his eyes closed_.

She aimed the next jolt of water at his nose. He shook his head and snorted it out. His expression was curled up with horror but his eyes remained closed.

_And now for the money shot. I just hope his tastebuds are as roasted as mine_. She exhaled loudly and poured a steady stream of water into his mouth. "How do you like the taste, you traitor? The flavor of my hot, stinking, dirty piss? That's what my _hate _tastes like."

She stopped and watched the pool of water that had collected in his mouth. She knew he was right on the edge.

She smiled. "Swallow."

He hesitated for a moment. Then he spat it out and rolled over. He curled up into the fetal position and sobbed loudly.

"I'm sorry," he said between sobs. "I'm so sorry I hurt you."

She stood and admired her handiwork. Then she knelt down and laid her body against his. "Just cry it out. Cry it all out."

"Why?" he said between sobs. "Why did you save me?"

She hugged his body. "Because you saved me first. You and Naruto. The things you said. They made me remember the person I used to be." She hugged him again. "The person I still am. This is payback for that."

Sakura looked up. Naruto had staggered over to them. He was looking down at the two of them with sad eyes.

"I guess I'll...be going now. I'll leave you two of you alone. I don't think any of us can go after Sasuke right now. I'm sorry I couldn't-"

She grabbed his hand. "Thank you, Naruto. You saved me. And you helped me to save Sai." She squeezed his hand. "Next time, it'll be Sasuke. We'll save Sasuke. The three of us."

He stared at her for a moment. Then the clouds lifted from his sunny blue eyes. He squeezed her hand back. "Yeah. Next time." He smiled. "The three of us. Together. We'll bring him back."

* * *

It was another Friday night, and like most Friday nights, she came to the bridge after her shift. He was in his usual place under the streetlight, where the light formed a halo around his head. He smiled when he saw her.

They strolled along the busy streets, enjoying the hum and the press of the crowd. A few people did a double-take when they saw the two of them decked out in boots and leather motorcycle jackets and denim pants. But, in a village where ninjas and magic and talking animals were commonplace, two leather-clad people were hardly front-page news, especially when they appeared to enjoy each other's company so much.

They had spent the last three evenings rehearsing for this night's session. The triggers, the psychological dynamics, the role play. She would play the "good cop" tonight, but that was okay. Sai deserved some time as the bad cop.

When they arrived at the warehouse, they checked each other's attire. The right appearance counted as much as the right attitude.

Sai looked her up and down. "You look pretty dangerous tonight." He cocked his head to the side. "Sometimes I wish you were a real man."

She ran her eyes along his body, pausing briefly at the bulge in his pants. "Yeah. Sometimes I wish you were one too." She swatted his butt. "How many more are there left to do?"

He unlocked the door. "A dozen or so. But I'm starting to get a lot of requests from former Root members who say they don't need a full catharsis, just a tuneup."

She looked out at the river. "Tuneup, my ass. Naughty boys. If this keeps up, we'll be be playing good-cop-bad-cop for the rest of our lives." She thought about that for a moment. She smiled.

He tapped her shoulder. "Why do you do that? Look out at the river? What do you think about?"

"Someone I used to know," she said. "I think about all the bad things he's done to me and to the people I care about. But I won't spend the rest of my life worrying about him. Someday soon, I will find him and I will bring him home. And I will make him a good dog again."

"And when you do," said Sai, "can I watch?"

She flashed him a evil grin. And then she led him inside.


End file.
